The succession conundrum: Amid a decline in CMO tenure, companies weigh promoting from within or hiring from outside the organization

David Ward

While companies scramble to build brands, engage consumers, and drive sales, they may be neglecting cultivating senior marketing employees who can take charge or step into the lead marketer role if there's a sudden departure of the CMO.

Aclassic case of the cobbler's kids having no shoes? While companies scramble to build brands, engage consumers, and drive sales, they may be neglecting cultivating senior marketing employees who can take charge or step into the lead marketer role if there's a sudden departure of the CMO, a recent report finds.

According to " Marketing Moves: Q1–Q2 2019," released late last year by Russell Reynolds Associates, more than 80 percent of publicly reported CMO appointments in the first half of 2019 were external hires, a stat that's remained consistent since the start of 2017.

The report's latest numbers...

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