For CMOs to be a recognised driver of revenue and growth, they need to earn the trust of their CEO to deliver on business objectives. Marketing leadership expert Thomas Barta sums it up as “Marketers must stand for growth, or they stand for nothing”.
The increasingly larger role of marketing leaders today to take ownership of the customer journey and leading digital transformation provides increased opportunities for future CMOs to move closer to the CEO role.
In this panel discussion, former CMOs share their journeys to CEOs and Managing Directors and their recommendations for CMOs to get a stronger voice at the leadership table.
- The need for CMOs to understand that most CEOs have a direct obligation to their board to drive a growth agenda
- Finding the right metrics – what does commercial acumen as a CMO look like?
- Putting analytically-centred marketers in strategic roles and making them strategic P&L leaders who “own” brand results and are accountable for total business results
- Advice for presenting to the leadership team; understanding the need to focus on their pain points vs your own day-to-day agenda, the importance of being prepared to defend your data and ensure the data presented are linked to business objectives
- Stakeholder engagement – work your network – how to be present and stay relevant in their worlds