CMO Moves November 2025
The CMO hiring buzz took a bit of a breather in November, with 35 new Marketing Chiefs announced globally: 16 women + 19 men, and, rather surprisingly, not a single internal promotion in the bunch.
Every one of them came from outside the company, keeping the year-to-date internal promotion rate at 16.5%, which is roughly in line with last year’s 16.1%.
13 of these new CMOs are stepping into the C-suite for the first time - a promising sign that CEOs are open to fresh faces. But only 5 came from entirely different industries. So while first-time CMOs are getting a shot, category experience still carries weight.
The US remained the center of marketing hiring activity, with 22 appointments across 16 states. Illinois and Texas led the way with 3 each, while Utah and Washington followed with 2 apiece. Beyond the States, Australia added 3 new CMOs, with England, Germany, and Singapore not far behind at 2 each. Bangladesh, India, Israel, and the Netherlands each welcomed one.
On the industry front, Tech continues to lead the pack with 12 new hires. Financial Services followed with 4, while Media, Sports & Entertainment, Professional Services, Government, and Hospitality each brought in 3. CPG, Healthcare, Retail, Restaurants, and Manufacturing filled out the rest with one or two apiece.
In short, the pace may have slowed for the season, but the appetite for external hires - and proven industry hands - shows no sign of waning.
Spotlight on Recent Appointments:
- Sonos has hired Colleen DeCourcy to lead a full brand reset after a disastrous 2024 marked by a failed app update, revenue decline, and leadership churn. A proven “fixer” with deep agency and C-suite experience, DeCourcy brings principled leadership, cultural repair skills, and strong product storytelling credentials from roles at Snap and Wieden+Kennedy. Her mandate is to rebuild trust: externally with frustrated customers and internally within a demoralized organization.
- Veeam’s appointment of Allison Cerra signals a strategic shift from product-led growth to category leadership as the company enters its next phase at $1.7B ARR. Cerra is a high-concept strategist known for designing new categories, most notably “Anticipatory Banking,” and is tasked with evolving Veeam from reliable cloud backup to a broader data resilience platform. Her role also addresses internal fragmentation by unifying a large global marketing organization around a single strategic narrative.
- Following its acquisition by Platinum Equity, Horizon Family Brands has hired former Keurig Dr Pepper CMO Andrew Springate to drive a classic PE “build-and-buy” growth strategy. Springate brings a proven playbook for reinvigorating mature CPG brands while launching adjacent high-growth products, with oversight spanning marketing, innovation, insights, and R&D. His mandate is to use Horizon’s dominant organic milk cash flows to fund a broader portfolio of better-for-you brands.
- Cadillac F1 has named Ahmed Iqbal as its first-ever CMO, underscoring GM’s ambition to disrupt Formula 1 with a fan-first, social-native, distinctly American approach. An “industry traveler” with experience across Audi, Twitter, and TikTok, Iqbal uniquely blends automotive credibility with deep digital and platform fluency. His mission is to translate a massive financial bet into cultural relevance, particularly with younger audiences, and establish Cadillac as America’s home F1 team.
- Woolworths has appointed former Albertsons CMO Sean Barrett to tackle one of the most challenging marketing roles in global retail: rebuilding consumer trust after severe reputational damage. AP&G-trained, data-driven operator, Barrett specializes in performance marketing, retail media, and loyalty economics. His mandate is to restore credibility by proving value through disciplined measurement, cleaner data, and materially improved customer outcomes.
- Parloa’s hire of Latané Conant as its first CMO signals an aggressive push to define and own the enterprise conversational AI category. Former Chief Market Officer at 6sense, Conant brings deep experience in category creation, revenue-aligned marketing, and influencing deals early in the buying cycle. With significant industry reach as an author and community builder, she acts as both GTM architect and amplification engine for Parloa’s enterprise ambitions.
Read more about each CMO and the scope of their new mandates via the links below:
CMO Moves Mid November Edition
