Who are the CMOs of tomorrow?
I find this question – what future CMO should actually look like – coming up more and more in conversations with CEOs.
For years, marketing leaders were seen as the organisation’s storyteller; the guardian of brand image and identity.
That still matters. But it is no longer enough.
Today, the stakes have shifted. Growth expectations are soaring, yet the landscape is more fragmented and constrained than ever.
Marketing has become about more than just visibility. It’s about driving measurable commercial impact.
This requires CMOs to operate differently.
To be credible in this environment, CMOs need to balance long-term brand building and short-term performance, navigate a series of complex trade-offs, and speak a language that resonates across the entire business, not just within marketing.
In a recent conversation I had with François Bazini, former Global CMO of Suntory, he summed it up:
If CMOs want to be taken seriously and fully accomplish their mission, they need to own all the business trade-offs related to their brand. They need to act as real brand CEOs.
— François Bazini
This idea of the “Brand CEO” strongly resonates.
So, what does this mean for the next generation of marketing leadership?
How Is the Role of the CMO Changing?
A few years ago, much of the conversation around marketing centred on proving impact and CMOs were under pressure to show a clear link between marketing spend and business outcomes.
That pressure hasn’t gone away, but the environment has become more complicated. It’s harder to track what’s working in a straightforward way, as customer journeys are less predictable and channels are more fragmented.
What I find more interesting is how marketing leaders have responded to this.
Rather than focusing only on analysing what has already happened, many are shifting their attention to what comes next – where demand will come from, and how the business generates revenue.
Insight and data are becoming tools for guiding how brands grow and evolve, helping organisations decide where to invest, how to position themselves, and how to scale without losing desirability.
Increasingly, CMOs are at the centre of these decisions.
But with this shift comes a new level of complexity.
CMOs decisions are increasingly impacting areas such as supply chain, finance, technology, and organisational capability.
A growth strategy that doesn’t account for these realities is unlikely to deliver.
In practice, this means CMOs must speak a more cross-functional language, understanding not just how to generate demand, but how that demand can be fulfilled, scaled and delivered profitably.
What Skills Define the CMO of Tomorrow?
If the role is evolving, the type of leader needed for it must evolve as well.
The most effective CMOs today combine commercial thinking, digital capability and brand leadership, but more importantly, they take accountability for how these translate into real business outcomes.
01
Commercial fluency
CMOs are increasingly expected to be results-driven and financially accountable.
They understand how marketing drives revenue, margin and customer lifetime value.
02
Digital and AI leadership
AI is changing how brands generate content, personalise experiences and identify demand.
CMOs today need to understand how platforms, data and AI shape how brands reach and engage customers, and how decisions are made in real time.
03
Creative and strategic leadership
And in this world of constant content and automation, creativity still matters, but it needs to be sharper and more purposeful.
This requires strategic vision and market foresight, understanding where culture is moving, not just reacting to it.
What Should Boards Look for When Hiring the Next CMO?
All of this raises an important question for Boards and CEOs:
How should they evaluate the next generation of marketing leaders?
Three questions tend to shape the discussion.
01
Can this leader drive growth, and manage the trade-offs that come with it?
Boards are increasingly focused on outcomes. They want a CMO who understands how to drive revenue and brand equity, but also how to balance investment decisions across the business.
02
Can they operate at executive level?
Boards require leaders who can contribute confidently to discussions alongside the CEO, CFO and the wider executive team, influencing product development, customer experience, technology investment and international expansion.
03
Can they build a modern, integrated capability?
Marketing teams today combine creativity with technology, data and customer. Leading these environments requires the ability to integrate these capabilities and design systems that contribute consistently to growth.
The New CMO
Why the Human Lens Matters
The most successful CMOs will be those linking brand, technology and commercial growth across the organisation.
Having spent more than two decades working with global Consumer organisations on their most critical leadership appointments, I’ve seen first-hand how much expectations of marketing leaders have evolved, and how important the right leadership has become to long-term growth.
About the Author
Julie is a Partner in Redgrave’s Consumer practice, advising global organisations on senior leadership appointments across retail, consumer goods, luxury, media and technology.
She works with CEOs, Boards and investors to identify leaders who can drive transformation and growth, bringing an international perspective shaped by experience in London, New York and Paris.
