Maren Marcelis
Partner U.S. | TravelTech, Marketplace and ClimateTech
Product, Tech & GTM Leadership, United States
Maren is one of Key Search's US Partners, based in San Francisco. She focuses exclusively on the United States market - placing Product, Technology, GTM, and C-suite leaders at high-growth tech companies across TravelTech, Marketplace & eCommerce, and ClimateTech.
Maren is a specialist bridge for European companies expanding into the US. Through her partnership with ScaleNL - the Dutch government's official programme supporting Dutch tech companies scaling to North America - she works directly with European founders and boards entering the American market for the first time, helping them build the leadership teams they need to succeed.
Her TravelTech expertise is hands-on and hard to replicate. Before moving into executive search, Maren spent over a decade as a recruiting leader inside the industry she now serves. She built and led the global TA function at GetYourGuide, and before that ran commercial recruiting across EMEA at Booking.com, covering 35 countries and 800+ hires annually. She knows what great leadership talent looks like in TravelTech from the inside.
Beyond TravelTech, Maren works extensively with Marketplace and eCommerce companies as well as ClimateTech and sustainability-driven businesses, placing the executive talent needed to scale across the US and transatlantically.
She partners with founders, CHROs, and C-suite leaders placing CPOs, CTOs, VPs of Product, Engineering Directors, VP of Sales, and GTM executives at companies from Seed Stage through Series A, B, and C.
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Specialties
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Podcast
Leaders Lounge
Hiring a US Manager for International Expansion: Insights from CCO at Fairphone
What does it really take to hire the right US manager when expanding internationally? The CCO at Fairphone shares candid lessons on cross-Atlantic hiring, leadership fit, and building commercial teams that last.
How to Make Your First US Hire? Insights with Rob Napoli, Managing Director @ BelCham
Planning your first North American hire? Rob Napoli, Managing Director at BelCham, shares what European startups get wrong when expanding into the US – and what it actually takes to build cross-Atlantic teams that last.
Scaling Smart: Lessons from Necture's First Executive Search for a Tech Leader
A candid look at a startup's first executive search for a CTPO - what founders can expect from an external search partner, and how it shapes company culture.
Insights from Shivani Berry, Founder & CEO at Arise Leadership
Shivani Berry shares her journey from leading tech product teams to founding Arise Leadership – a platform championing women in the workplace – and the pivots that made it possible.
Articles by Maren Marcelis
Scaling Smart: What ClimateTech Founders Get Wrong About Their First Tech Leadership Hire
Drawing on Key Search's work with Necture and the Leaders Lounge podcast, Maren Marcelis shares the three mistakes ClimateTech founders make before their first senior technology search — and what a well-run process actually looks like.
Why We Partner with ScaleNL, and What Dutch Founders Actually Need When They Land in the US
Key Search has partnered with ScaleNL across four cohorts to help Dutch and European founders make the right first US hire. Here’s what we’ve learned.
Before You Post the Job: Strategic Decisions for Your First Cross-Atlantic Hire
Most European founders make critical strategic mistakes before their first US executive search even opens. Here’s what to decide before you post the job.
Strategic Agility in TravelTech: Navigating Volatility and Disruption
Few industries have faced the kind of existential turbulence that TravelTech has over the last five years. From pandemic shutdowns to the revenge-travel boom, to AI disruption and sustainability pressure, the ability to anticipate change and pivot has never mattered more for travel and hospitality leaders.
Why Smart Leaders Plan Their Careers the Way They Plan Their Travel - Even When Things Are “Fine”
Designing a career with intention Many of the founders, VPs, and senior leaders I speak with are in a strong place in their careers. Their companies are performing well, their roles have meaningful scope, and there is a clear sense of forward momentum. Interestingly, this is often when the most thoughtful career conversations begin. […]
You should speak with Maren if…
- 1You are a TravelTech, Marketplace & eCommerce, or ClimateTech company hiring leadership in the United States.
- 2You are a European founder or board expanding into the US market and need a search partner who understands both sides of the Atlantic.
- 3You are a Seed Stage, Series A, Series B, or Series C company making a critical VP or C-suite hire in the US.
- 4You want a partner with genuine in-house TravelTech experience — someone who has built recruiting teams at Booking.com and GetYourGuide, not just a recruiter who knows the names.