CMO Moves April 2026
In April, we tracked 49 CMO appointments globally, with a fairly even split: 23 women and 26 men stepping into the role. What’s more telling is how few of those came from within. Just 3 were internal promotions, reinforcing the ongoing preference for fresh blood over familiar faces. That said, nearly half, 23, to be precise, are first-time CMOs, suggesting boards are willing to place bets on rising talent, provided the pedigree holds up. Experience, however, remains non-negotiable. Only 4 of the new appointees crossed industry lines.
The U.S. accounted for the bulk of activity, with 39 appointments spread across 19 states. California led with 10 new CMOs, followed by Massachusetts with 5, while New York and Florida each brought in 3. Elsewhere, hiring was more measured: England, India, and Australia each added 2, while Israel, Greece, Brazil, and the UAE recorded one apiece.
As for sectors, Tech continues to dominate the conversation, accounting for 17 of the month’s hires. Financial Services followed at a distance with 6, while Media, Sports & Entertainment saw 5. Restaurants, along with Biotech and Healthcare, each brought in 4 new marketing chiefs.
- Tech: 17
- Financial Services: 6
- Media, Sports & Entertainment: 5
- Restaurants: 4
- BioTech, Pharma, Healthcare & Wellness: 4
- Retail: 3
- Professional Services: 3
- Construction: 2
- CPG: 2
- Manufacturing: 1
- Automotive: 1
- Hotel and Travel: 1
Spotlight on Recent Appointments:
- PayPal has appointed veteran marketing leader Antonio Lucio to a newly expanded role combining Marketing and Corporate Affairs, reflecting the growing overlap between brand reputation, regulatory trust, and corporate communications. As the company restructures into three business units, Lucio's mandate is to create a unified narrative that strengthens trust while supporting PayPal's next phase of growth.
- e.l.f. Beauty has promoted longtime CMO Kory Marchisotto to President of e.l.f. Brands and named Oshiya Savur as its new CMO to help scale the business after 28 consecutive quarters of growth. Savur brings a blend of innovation and operational expertise, with a mandate to build the systems and processes needed for global expansion without losing the brand's disruptive culture.
- Chipotle has appointed renowned brand builder Fernando Machado as Chief Brand Officer, reinforcing its long-term focus on brand equity over short-term promotional marketing. His challenge will be to use bold storytelling to strengthen Chipotle's premium positioning as the company accelerates international expansion and targets 7,000 North American restaurants.
- Cadillac has hired former Uber global marketing executive David Mogensen as CMO to accelerate its transformation into a leading luxury electric vehicle brand. With deep experience across automotive and technology, Mogensen is expected to sharpen Cadillac's commercial marketing while elevating its software-driven EV positioning against rivals like Tesla.
- Babylist has appointed its first Chief Marketing Officer, Jill Cress, as the fast-growing company prepares for a potential IPO. Cress will focus on expanding Babylist beyond its registry business into a broader parenting platform while increasing brand awareness and strengthening long-term customer relationships.
- Sundial Media & Technology Group has named Amanda Butler as its first Chief Marketing Officer, signaling a shift toward building a technology-enabled growth platform around its portfolio of cultural media brands. Drawing on leadership experience at Netflix, Spotify, and Beats by Dre, Butler will be responsible for turning audience engagement into scalable data, commerce, and revenue opportunities
Read more about each CMO and the scope of their new mandates via the links below:
