Sarah Polk

Picture of Sarah Polk
With deep senior level management and marketing expertise, Sarah leads businesses through international expansion initiatives, difficult transitions, mergers, acquisitions, and turnarounds. Adept at recognizing growth opportunities, strategic positioning, creative conceptualization, new product launches, and brand management, she builds and expands extensive marketing departments to maximize ROI and shareholder value. Also skilled at product marketing, she works with engineering teams to craft products that meet the market's needs. With an ability to inspire and lead cross-functional global teams, Sarah builds productive, long-lasting business relationships.
Find me on:

Recent Posts

Outsider Insights | The Backup Plan You Don't Have Is Already Costing You

Outsider Insights | The Backup Plan You Don't Have Is Already Costing You

Fri, Aug 21, 2026 | Posted by Dawn Werry

Executive Takeaways

  • Commercial team gaps happen for many reasons: someone leaves, someone is underperforming, or the business needs a capability the current team doesn’t have.
  • Mid-sized companies tend to run lean, which means there’s rarely a qualified backup ready to step into a critical role.
  • The real cost of that gap isn’t the empty seat. Priorities slow, teams lose direction, good people get frustrated, and commercial efforts stall.
  • Rushing a permanent hire isn’t always the answer. Fractional resources can keep the business moving while you make the right long-term decision.
  • The best time to decide how you’ll handle a critical commercial is before one opens.

Outsider Insights

Across Chief Outsiders, we talk to hundreds of CEOs every month. In this series, we explore the trends and challenges we’re hearing from these discussions – and what you can do if you’re facing the same issues in your business.

Read More