The Chief Marketing Officer owns how a business is seen and how it grows demand. But the modern CMO role spans far more than advertising. Here is what it actually covers.
Brand and perception
At its foundation, the CMO owns how the business is seen — its brand, positioning, story, and reputation. In consumer and beauty especially, where brand is close to the whole business, this is central: the CMO shapes what the company means to its customers and why they choose it over alternatives.
Demand and growth
Modern marketing is also accountable for growth, not just awareness. A CMO typically owns the performance and demand engine — digital, performance marketing, and the data behind acquisition and retention — and is measured on marketing's contribution to revenue. The role has moved decisively from a cost centre to a growth driver, and CMOs are expected to own that result.
A broad, cross-functional remit
Today's CMO oversees an unusually broad remit — brand, performance, digital, content, data, and increasingly the customer experience — and must lead specialists across all of it. Few CMOs are the deepest expert in every area; the job is to be genuinely fluent across them and to lead a modern, multi-disciplinary marketing organisation.
What makes the role hard
The defining challenge is balance: holding genuine brand vision together with commercial accountability, and partnering effectively with the rest of the C-suite. Much of what determines a CMO's success — and the role's famously short tenure — comes down to that balance and to how well the role was scoped and aligned from the start.
Hiring a CMO?
We recruit Chief Marketing Officers who balance brand vision with commercial accountability, across beauty and consumer.
Explore CMO Search →Frequently asked questions
What are the responsibilities of a CMO?
Owning marketing and demand — brand, positioning, and perception, plus the performance, digital, and data engine that drives growth — and being accountable for marketing's contribution to revenue, not just awareness.
What is the difference between a CMO and a CBO?
A CMO owns marketing and demand generation broadly; a Chief Brand Officer focuses specifically on the brand as a long-term strategic asset. In many businesses one CMO covers both; scope defines the split.
Related: How to Hire a CMO · What Makes a Great CMO? · What Does a Chief Brand Officer Do?
