Who We Are
Marketing Strategy ConsultantsIt’s About People
A business does not exist without people. People decide which goods and services to purchase, not businesses. Its people that experience the emotions that come with running a business, not the legal entities required to form a business.
When you retain Astute Group, your not just retaining Fractional CMO services and marketing strategy consultants, you are retaining people. We are only as good as the people that make up this firm. People that are experts in their respective fields. People concerned about the client’s success, as much as they are about their own success.
That is why we have built a culture around the following principles
- We serve our clients, achieving their goals and fulfilling their needs is our primary objective
- Data-driven decision-making process – Research, Analysis, Evaluation, Decision
- We are only as good as the numbers say we are – KPIs such as ROI, Growth Rate, Profit Margins
- Take pride in anything you produce, if it isn’t a GREAT representation of your capabilities, it’s not complete

Ferris Ayar
CMO • Strategist • Founder
A Strategist with a Passion for Marketing
- 28 years of sales, marketing, and product management experience, with 12 years in senior executive positions
- Fortune 500 experience at leading brands like General Electric (GE), JPMorgan Chase, and Compuware.
- MBA Wayne State University, BA U-of-Michigan (Triple Concentration).
- Founder of Non-Profit organization that promotes education for minorities.
More about Ferris
Ferris brings a plethora of knowledge, experience, foresight, and skills to every client. An innovative thinker that not only thinks outside the box, he does not see a box. Thus enabling ideation that has often been described as “brilliant”.
Ferris has a strong track record of developing and executing marketing and growth strategies that generate extraordinary results, such as 1,000% (10x) revenue growth.
He has extensive experience collaborating with C-Level executives, senior managers, engineers, scientists to develop and introduce new products and services to market. Ferris has developed product marketing strategies that have generated 10X product line revenue growth in just two years.
Other significant accomplishments include leading a Mid-Tier IT company into an entirely new market, reversing three years of declining revenues while increasing margins and achieving market leadership within 30 months. As well as identifying niche markets for a durable goods manufacturer and developing the go-to-market plan which resulted in a very significant increase in profit margins for three product lines.
Ferris has a Bachelor of Business Administration (Triple Emphasis: Business Administration, Economics and Political Science) from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Wayne State University. While attending U of M, Ferris founded a student organization to promote education to ethnic students. That organization is now in several schools across the country. When not in the office, Ferris is active in the community. Currently, Ferris is a volunteer Big Brother through the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. Ferris has also tutored foreign students and children for the past decade. Beyond volunteering, Ferris enjoys spending time on his boat, fishing, playing chess, or mountain biking.
Natalie
Martorano
Analyst – Google Certified
Jessica
Sans
Project Coordinator
Randy
Pilon
Writer
Nichole
Mchlean
Marketing Specialist
Fractional CMO Services - Strategic Marketing Expertise
Brand Strategy
Product Marketing
Strategic Marketing
Digital Strategy
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