Meet Paartner: Richard Fitzmaurice

In this blog series, we’re pulling back the curtain on the team behind Paartner. First up is Richard Fitzmaurice, our founder who turned a vision into Paartner.

So Richard, let’s start with the serious stuff. What inspired you to start Paartner?

I’m a career marketer who has been fortunate enough to hold some fantastic leadership roles at great companies, which has given me the privilege of meeting a huge variety of people. I naturally find myself connecting them whether it’s someone I’ve just met at a conference, an old colleague I catch up with over coffee or a former team member. Inevitably, conversation turns to work. Sometimes it’s a project they’re excited about, other times it’s a challenge they’re facing and my instinct is always to think of who I know that might help. I’ve always seen this as something many of us do naturally - connecting people, creating opportunities and helping others succeed.

About a year ago, though, an experience made me think differently. I made two particularly strong referrals between friendly ex-colleagues and the same agency, introductions I knew were spot-on. I understood what each party needed, helped pull the brief together, and connected the dots. Then… silence. Months later, before meeting one of those friends, I reached out to the agency to see what had happened. Their reply came back almost instantly: the introductions had been “fantastic” leading to two six-figure deals, followed quickly by, “have you got any more?” It struck me that, had I not chased for an update, I might never have known about the success. They did offer to send me a bottle of Jack Daniels (worth £23 in Tesco, £18 with a Clubcard) as a ‘thank you’ - a nice gesture, but one that didn’t quite reflect the scale of the opportunity those connections had created.

My friend had benefited from solving a problem, the agency had won a brilliant new client, yet my role in making it happen was almost invisible. That moment made me realise there’s a huge opportunity here to better recognise and reward the people who make valuable connections. Helping others will always be something I believe in, but when we acknowledge and celebrate the connectors, we encourage more collaboration and more success for everyone involved.

How did you validate the problem?

I did what all good marketers should do and asked as many people as possible whether this was something they had experienced. I asked CMOs, marketing consultants, influencers, and people I met at conferences - “I’ve had similar happen to me, I don’t bother making referrals anymore”, “I’d make so many more referrals if I knew what was in it for me”, “making referrals and expecting something in return feels like a hostage situation at times.”

I spoke to lots of vendors too. “We love referrals, we want as many as possible”, “We’ve have never built a program around them”, “we once offered £25 in Amazon vouchers, but it never went anywhere”, “if someone gives multiple referrals, we might then discuss putting an agreement with them in place”.

After speaking to hundreds of people to understand the problem, the opportunity became clear. White collar workers have the personal networks and influence that firms are eager to tap into to accelerate their growth. They're also looking for smart ways to supplement their income in challenging times. I wanted to create an easy way to bring these two parties together for mutual success. I knew it was time for a referral revolution.

So, what did you do about it?

I called the best people I'd met over twenty years of my career, shared the problem I wanted to solve, and thankfully they said, "I'm in!" They traveled to London from as far as Mauritius, Portugal and Ireland on their own dime, which filled me with gratitude and validated that we were onto something special.

People like Shane Redding (the Queen of B2B), Joel Harrison (co-founder of B2B Marketing), and Mark Choueke (former editor of Marketing Week) along with those top of their field in brand, data, security, software development, risk & compliance and, funnily enough, marketing. Together, we decided to build Paartner - the first B2B referral platform designed entirely around mutual success.

What are you most excited about right now?

Right now, I'm excited about the prospect of Paartner helping thousands of people across the UK boost their income and ease financial pressures. With council tax, mortgages, utility bills, supermarket shopping, and childcare all seeming to rise relentlessly, we have the opportunity to make a real difference to people's lives.
I'm also excited about raising significant funds for three charities: Young Lives vs Cancer, The Trussell Trust and The Marketing Skills Trust. They align with our mission to help people overcome challenges, support those facing hardship, and inspire the next generation of marketers.

Where do you see Paartner heading in the next few years?

We've deliberately focused on the UK marketing sector for our pilot phase, but we already have a waiting list of vendors from other sectors like professional services and IT firms, plus interest from across Europe and the USA. However, I'd rather we jog than sprint. We want to listen carefully to our members and vendors, learn from their experiences, refine our approach and then evolve thoughtfully from there.

Now a quick fire round so that we can get to know you better…

Favourite podcast?

I listen to ‘off menu’ when walking the dog, ‘the Fozcast’ when on the train and I am excited about ‘The B2B Show’ which is coming soon…

Dream person you’d love to collaborate with?

It sounds a bit cringe, but it has to be Steve Jobs. He sounds like a both an inspiration and a nightmare, but it would have been interesting to experience what he was truly like behind closed doors. I am sure everyone learnt lots, even when he was his most intense he probably taught people what not to do. 

Go to karaoke song?

I am a fan of watching Karaoke but not participating. I have this weird affliction where I can never remember any lyrics of any song, ever. If forced to against my will, or drunk enough, I would probably go for The Proclaimers. 

Biggest pet peeve in meetings? 

There are plenty that come to mind. People waffling on and-on-and people who cannot put their phones down are dislikes. 

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I liked ‘P for progress and not for perfection’ and use it often. Sometimes solving the problems right in front of you is a great day’s work. 

What’s next on your personal bucket list?

I have been lucky enough to go to a league cup final, an FA cup final, a Europa League final and a champion’s league final. I’d love to go to a World Cup final.