Man Who Coined 'B2B Marketing' Sells Legendary Domain to Global CMO to Build the Practitioner-Led Home Ground of B2B marketing.
London, UK – 2nd March 2026
Today, Paartner Limited announces the acquisition of b2bmarketing.com and the appointment of John Coe as President Emeritus of B2B Marketing United. Founded by Rich Fitzmaurice, an experienced global Chief Marketing Officer, and in partnership with Mark Choueke, Partner and Chief Creative Officer at OrbitalX, former editor of Marketing Week, author of ‘Boring2Brave', the company is building the practitioner-led ecosystem and home ground for B2B marketers worldwide; B2B Marketing United.
A Legendary Partnership
John Coe is recognised as a pioneer of B2B marketing and the figure who first coined the term now accepted the world over as the name of our distinct discipline. Working in New York in 1997, Coe championed the designation 'B2B marketing' as practical shorthand for business-to-business marketing or industrial marketing. John founded B2BMarketing LLC and registered the domain b2bmarketing.com, firmly establishing a label that quickly resonated as a clearer way to describe the scale, complexity, and commercial importance of marketing between businesses.
In 2004, Coe authored Fundamentals of Business-to-Business Sales and Marketing, published by McGraw Hill, further formalising B2B marketing as a discipline. The book reinforced the importance of aligning marketing with real sales dynamics, buying committees, and trust-based decision-making. Now, three decades after creating the term, Coe has decided to pass the torch and allowed B2B Marketing United to leverage the domain.
Joining Coe on the B2B Marketing United team is Mark Choueke, Partner and Chief Creative Officer at OrbitalX, the former editor of Marketing Week and a recognized voice of the industry. Choueke brings 20+ years of editorial leadership and practical experience. He's also the bestselling author of the ‘Boring2Brave’ along with a course of the same name.
Choueke will serve on the advisory board.
What They're Building
B2B Marketing United is a holistic ecosystem for B2B marketers, including fractionals, consultants, and agency professionals.
‘We're bringing together everything B2B marketers need to have successful careers and lives into one home ground for the profession,' said Rich Fitzmaurice, Founder of B2B Marketing United.
‘I first studied B2B marketing at University in 2002, buying John’s book, and in my later senior marketing role, I read Mark’s work to keep up to speed. It is an honour to join forces with such influences to give back to a profession that has given us all so much. With their help, we will build a place where honesty beats hype, where humour and substance coexist, and where real marketers are heard. A place where you leave smarter, not sold to. Where real questions get real answers from people who’ve actually done the job. B2B Marketing United will be where our profession grows up together.’
Strategic Backing from Industry Leaders
B2B Marketing United has raised significant funds from C-level executives in some of the world’s largest companies. 'These investors bring more than capital, they bring formidable knowledge, experience and counsel' added Fitzmaurice.
In Their Own Words
John Coe, President Emeritus:
'When B2B marketing first emerged as a discipline in the late nineties, many people underestimated both the size and importance of the market. That has changed dramatically over the last thirty years, but the fundamentals have not. Trust, relevance, and understanding real buying dynamics still matter. I am very happy to pass the torch on to Rich and the team. I have been made to feel very welcome, and I look forward to working closely with them moving forward.'
Mark Choueke, Member of the advisory board:
'I’ve spent 20 years in B2B marketing and, if you like, editorial leadership. I wrote ‘Boring2Brave’ because I saw a gap in the way B2B marketing executes its remit, fulfils its potential and ultimately, accounts for itself. The gap is one where confidence, autonomy, strategic influence, managed risk-taking and recognition should all exist. I’m delighted to be an advisor to B2B Marketing United and to support its content because it’s time we B2B marketers develop and learn from one another rather than theory, academics or conference organisers that don’t actually operate in the role. When John personally selected Rich to take on B2Bmarketing.com, and when I saw Rich’s vision, I knew I wanted to be involved.’
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About Paartner Limited
The company was founded in 2024 and is headquartered in London. Paartner was the UK's first referral platform built by B2B marketers, for B2B marketers and now also operates B2B Marketing United. www.paartner.com
About John Coe
John Coe pioneered the term 'B2B marketing' in 1997 and is widely recognized as the earliest professional advocate of B2B marketing as a distinct discipline. He is the author of Fundamentals of Business-to-Business Sales and Marketing (McGraw Hill, 2004) and was the founding owner of b2bmarketing.com. John held senior sales and marketing roles in the chemical and plastics sectors, including national sales leadership at Quaker Oats Chemical and marketing leadership at West Agro Chemical and Samuel Bingham. In 1980 he founded Integrated Target Marketing, a Chicago direct marketing agency that became one of the top 50 in the US. He later led campaigns at IBM and served as senior vice president at Rapp Collins Worldwide. To date, John has presented on B2B marketing topics around the world and is currently working on his new book ‘The New fundamentals of B2B Sales & Marketing’ with Rich Fitzmaurice as a co-author.
About Mark Choueke
Mark Choueke is the former editor of Marketing Week and a recognized voice in UK B2B marketing with 20+ years of editorial and practical experience. He is the author of bestseller Boring2Brave and creator of the course by the same name. He is also partner and Chief Creative Officer at OrbitalX.
About Rich Fitzmaurice
Rich Fitzmaurice is the founder of B2B Marketing United and Paartner Limited. A former Chief Marketing Officer at multiple global B2B firms, he is now Editor-in-chief of B2B Marketing United, a practicing fractional CMO and the creator of the course 'How to Become a High-Performing, High-Earning Fractional CMO'.
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