CMO Moves September 2026
What is it about September?
Last September, 51 new CMOs were announced worldwide, making it the busiest month of 2025. This September? 56. Yes, 56 companies found a new Chief Marketing Officer in a single month.
The usual breakdown: 31 women and 25 men. Just 10 were promoted from within, while a whopping 46were hired externally. Nearly half (25 of the 56 ) are first-time CMOs. Industry travelers remain a much rarer breed - just 4 crossed into an entirely different vertical.
The U.S. continues to do most of the hiring, with 37 new CMOs across 12 states. But September was unusually busy elsewhere too. India announced 5 new CMOs, Canada and England 3 each, France 2, with Sweden, the UAE, Scotland, the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany adding one apiece.
And then there is tech. 19 of September’s 56 new CMOs went into tech companies, more than a third of the entire month. Professional Services came next with 8, followed by Retail with 7 and CPG with 5.
The full breakdown:
- Tech: 19
- Professional Services: 8
- Retail: 7
- CPG: 5
- Financial Services: 4
- Restaurants: 4
- Media, Sports & Entertainment: 3
- Biotech, Pharma, Healthcare & Wellness: 2
- Manufacturing: 2
- Hotel & Travel: 1
- Government: 1
So September has done it again.
Spotlight on Recent Appointments:
- Stephanie Buscemi joins Google Cloud as CMO, bringing extensive enterprise technology marketing experience from Confluent and Salesforce, where she previously served as CMO. Known for her belief that marketing should drive business alignment rather than simply manage campaigns, Buscemi will focus on helping enterprise customers understand the practical value of Google Cloud's AI capabilities.
- Sarah Kennedy Ellis joins Workday as CMO after leading global marketing at Google Cloud and Google Workspace, following earlier CMO roles at Adobe Experience Cloud and Marketo. She inherits a global marketing organization of more than 500 people and will play a central role in strengthening Workday's positioning in enterprise AI and expanding its credibility beyond HR into financial management.
- Tyler Rutstein joins the PGA Tour as CMO after leading global brand and Americas marketing at Under Armour, with previous experience at Overtime and Adidas. Known for his expertise in digital storytelling, creator partnerships and engaging younger sports audiences, he will help the Tour broaden its appeal and build stronger connections with the next generation of golf fans.
- Mark Weinstein joins Target after 15 years at Hilton, most recently serving as global CMO, head of Hilton Honors and head of luxury brands. Reporting directly to CEO Michael Fiddelke, he will oversee marketing, brand, loyalty, guest experience and digital initiatives, bringing his extensive experience in customer loyalty and hospitality to Target's efforts to improve its shopping experience.
- Emma Chalwin joins Accenture as global CMO after three years at Workday, where she helped elevate the company's brand through its widely recognized Rock Stars campaign. Reporting directly to Chair and CEO Julie Sweet, she will lead global marketing and communications, focusing on strengthening Accenture's market influence, driving demand and communicating the commercial value of its AI and technology services.
- Andy Pitts joins Red Lobster as EVP and CMO from BarkleyOKRP, the restaurant chain's longtime agency partner, where he helped shape its brand comeback following its 2024 bankruptcy. With experience working on major restaurant brands including Wingstop, Dairy Queen and Fogo de Chão, Pittswill oversee marketing, guest experience and brand strategy as Red Lobster continues its turnaround.
- Mike McGarry has been promoted to Patreon's first CMO after joining the company in early 2025 as its inaugural SVP of Marketing, following senior marketing roles at Shake Shack and Coca-Cola. Having developed Patreon's first fan-facing marketing strategy, he will now focus on expanding consumer discovery, attracting new audiences and helping creators turn their communities into sustainable income.
Read more about each CMO and the scope of their new mandates via the links below:
CMO Moves Mid-September Edition
