Sarah's appointment as CMO represents Lands' End's evolution as the team continues to grow the brand and attract new and younger customers, underscoring a renewed commitment to brand-building, modern marketing leadership and long-term growth.
Too many CMOs have been doing the business of marketing, which is the role of a VP of marketing. The business of marketing is doing campaigns, managing channels, communications, engagements, and brand. The role of the CMO should be to do the business of the company: vision, deciding where the company is going, what the company stands for, and how it grows.
CMOs sit at the apex of brand, revenue, customer experience, technology, product, sales and data. Yet they're spending less time in top jobs. The average tenure of a CMO at a Fortune 500 company is now just 3.9 years. Furthermore, fewer Fortune 500 companies are employing marketing executives who report at a C-suite level; these once all-important roles are being absorbed and redistributed to chief customer and chief growth officers.
CMOs are navigating a convergence of challenges: political and economic uncertainty, rapid technological upheaval driven by artificial intelligence, and a decline in mass-reach media, forcing them to seek new channels, such as influencer marketing, to continue connecting with consumers. All the while, they're under growing scrutiny to prove marketing's direct impact on the bottom line. We want to showcase the CMOs who are leading from the top and inspiring the next generation of marketers.
Disruption is no longer episodic; it's the operating environment. One of the most important roles a CMO can play today is to create clarity amid constant change. That starts with anchoring your organization in what will not change: your consumer, your purpose, and the standards you hold yourselves to. Practically, that means building teams that are comfortable with innovation but disciplined about where they place bets.
"In this upgraded role, Ayaz will lead a new internal organization comprised of all Disney marketing teams (including those in parks, sports and other sectors) meant to "support a more connected approach to how Disney reaches audiences, elevates its campaigns, and advances the business goals of each segment and the company as a whole," a Wednesday announcement said. Ayaz will report to Disney CEO Bob Iger, as well as vertical leaders Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, parks head Josh D'Amaro and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro."
Douglas Elliman has always been defined by its agents their expertise, their relationships, their entrepreneurial spirit, Passerini said in a statement. Coming back as CMO is a full-circle moment for me, and I'm excited to lead a brand evolution that puts our agents front and center. We're building a platform that amplifies their voices, elevates their visibility and gives them every advantage in the most competitive luxury markets in the world.
From our first meeting with Theo, we were instantly impressed with his overall marketing experience in both exhibition and advocacy. His creative acumen and strategic insight, not to mention his passion and love of the movies, were obvious and we are thrilled to see him apply those skills to advance this amazing industry forward,
Jon Shanahan destroys the myth that founders make lousy employees. He co-founded Stryx, a men's cosmetics provider, and is now a marketing executive at TRX, the storied exercise equipment company. He has thrived in both roles. He joined TRX in late 2022 amid a post-Covid hangover and a stale legacy brand. Fast forward to late 2025, and TRX is refreshed and flourishing, thanks in part to Jon's entrepreneurial mindset.
Takeshi Numoto, Microsoft's chief marketing officer, and his marketing team will join the newly created organization, with Takeshi reporting directly to Althoff as CMO; Numoto will still also report directly to Nadella on all-up business models, planning, consumer marketing, and corporate brand and communications.
Clinch, the agentic AI platform for omnichannel campaign orchestration, today (25th September 2025) announced the appointment of Tariq Hassan, former chief marketing and customer experience officer of McDonald's, to its global Advisory Board. Hassan, one of the industry's most recognised marketing leaders, brings more than two decades of global marketing, communications, and brand leadership experience to Clinch. Most recently, he led all marketing efforts at McDonald's USA, including digital, media, CRM, brand content and engagement, and consumer insights.
Fanuele will support Shake Shack's marketing strategy by overseeing advertising, paid media, and insights and analytics and work alongside Steph So, chief growth officer, and Luke DeRouen, chief communications officer. Shake Shack has tested paid media programs in various markets, leading to positive results. The company's marketing will focus on setting Shake Shack apart from fast food competitors, by showcasing premium menu items and the brand's identity.
One of the biggest mindset shifts I had to make as a marketing leader was learning to lead with the story, not the tactical plan. Early on, it's tempting to drive straight to strategy: Which campaigns should we run? Which channels should we optimize? But over time, I started to notice a pattern.
