CMO Recruiters

CMO executive recruitment for companies located in North America, Western Europe, and Australia

The role of Chief Marketing Officer can have widely varying duties and expectations given the particular vertical a company operates in, what the CEO and board expectations might be, who constitutes the customer base, and a legion of additional factors.

Proper definition of the position and expectations
During initial discussions with a number of companies prior to initiating a search, the CMO recruiters at Renascent Solutions have often found that there is often a great deal of inconsistency and ambiguity regarding how the role will be structured, what specific responsibilities will be assigned to the individual, and how success will be properly quantified.

Given this, we have devised a detailed template to help guide the CEO when determining the precise type of CMO they are seeking. Will their responsibilities lie purely within the commercialization realm, or must they have the ability to address additional strategic and profit and loss authority? Much of this will ultimately be determined by the size of the company, the philosophical approach of leadership, and the manner in which corporate growth is generally achieved.

Most importantly, with a well-defined description of duties, functional purview, and performance parameters in place we are able to very effectively convey the expectations and attraction of the opening to individuals who are a superb match from all facets.

Current average tenure
The average amount of time a CMO spends in a particular role has been trending downward for the past 10+ years to the point where most individuals make it no longer than just over 3 years before departing voluntarily or with assistance from the company.

Based on our insight, combined with available information, it’s clear that the Chief Marketing Officer position and the associated achievement metrics for those operating in this capacity has evolved a great deal in recent times. Expectations to account for and defend chosen approaches and the definition of marketing success have been well amplified, and there are often implied if not overt limits on the purview of the position within many organizations that can effectively diminish the success of even the most skilled marketer. There must also be strong alignment between sales, product, and other relevant corporate arms in order to achieve and sustain strong performance standards.

Competencies of top-level Chief Marketing Officers
CMO’s must have a number of skills readily at hand in today’s environment. These are but a few of those that we examine based on corporate need and the reach of the particular role.

• Communication – A fairly obvious trait given the position, but one that must be thoroughly defined by a recruiter when determining who will be the best match for a certain organization. How well can the individual convey a message to not only customers but, equally important, others within the enterprise.

• Team building – The ability to construct, guide, and encourage a group at all levels is clearly paramount in order for one to succeed as a CMO.

• Data-driven and highly analytical – Marketing professionals who may have once thrived on a purely creative basis now must be highly adroit at utilizing a wide range of tools that provide immediate and actionable information.

• Strategic insight and overall market vision – Successful individuals are fully aware of overall corporate goals, product offerings and how to position them, and the best manner in which to present a cogent and comprehensive message to current and potential clientele.

• Adaptability – CMO’s must have a great deal of functional agility in order to fully take advantage of rapidly changing customer requirements. They must also be able to take on various roles within their company that may change with little notice. P&L responsibilities, product strategy input, or more expanded company-wide planning expectations may be required as the organizational structure evolves and grows.

Chief Marketing Officer executive search professionals
The CMO recruiters of Renascent Solutions have been helping companies locate and hire exceptional marketing leaders for over 20 years. Our retained approach is unique in the industry (Retained Recruitment), and our ability to locate and prompt superb performers operating in primary decision-making marketing roles to take on a new position is unmatched.