When Is the Right Time to Appoint a Chief Marketing Officer?
Appointing a Chief Marketing Officer is no longer a question of scale alone, but of strategic intent. For FTSE 350 and private equity-backed companies, the right moment to hire a CMO often coincides with an inflection point in growth, complexity or ambition.
One of the clearest signals is when growth objectives outpace existing capability. As businesses expand into new markets, launch new propositions or accelerate revenue targets, marketing can no longer sit purely in an executional role. A CMO brings senior ownership of brand, demand, customer insight and commercial alignment, ensuring growth is intentional, measurable and sustainable.
Another trigger is increasing organisational complexity. Multiple channels, fragmented customer journeys and disconnected teams can dilute impact and create inefficiency. At this stage, a CMO provides strategic coherence, aligning marketing, digital, product and sales around a clear go-to-market strategy and a unified customer proposition.
For private equity-backed businesses, the timing is often linked to value creation plans. Whether pre-exit or mid-cycle, a CMO can play a critical role in accelerating growth, strengthening brand equity and building repeatable revenue engines. Importantly, this requires a leader with commercial credibility, data fluency and the ability to influence at board level.
There is also a people signal. When marketing leadership sits too far below the executive team, decision-making slows and opportunity is missed. Appointing a CMO elevates marketing to the top table, enabling faster, more informed strategic choices.
The risk lies not in appointing a CMO too early, but in appointing the wrong one, or hiring without clarity of mandate. Title alone does not deliver impact. Boards must be clear on outcomes, accountability and how success will be measured.
Ultimately, the right time to appoint a CMO is when marketing becomes mission-critical to growth. At that point, senior leadership, strategic authority and commercial ownership are not optional, they are essential.
To find out how we can support you with CMO hires, connect with a Consultant.
Suzie Walker Executive Search is a specialist headhunting firm dedicated to finding exceptional interim and permanent senior marketing, digital, and technology leaders for both B2C and B2B organisations. We partner with FTSE 350 and private equity–backed companies, recruiting for roles at Head, Director and Chief (C-suite) level.
If you’re ready to make your next move, we regularly post new opportunities on our LinkedIn company page. If you apply for a role on the platform, it requires a 1st connection for us to respond, so please make sure to connect with Suzie Walker. Our company page is also frequently updated with the latest hiring news, expert interviews, and candidate guidance, so well worth following.
