10 things every first-time CMO needs to know | marketing leadership | leadership advice | personal brand

New to a chief marketing officer role (or aspiring to a marketing leadership position in the future)? Here’s must-read advice from Marketo CMO Sarah Kennedy on how to navigate the first 12 months in the job – plus, guidance from marketing leaders on how to define your personal brand

When you secure your position as CMO, no-one hands you an instruction manual. You take your seat and it’s up to you. It’s a lonely place to be, even more so when it’s a new company, a new team and you have new superiors to impress.

At the recent Adobe Summit in London this month, Marketo CMO Sarah Kennedy shared 10 of what she described as “moments of truth” – insights gleaned from the first 12 months of her first CMO role. She was keen to pass these nuggets of advice on to newly-hired and future marketing leaders, sharing her experience of leading a team at a fast-growing enterprise business while being acquired by Adobe.


This feature has been written exclusively for our www.b2bmarketing.net members. Membership is free and only takes five minutes to complete, giving you access to find out the following:


  • Why it’s okay to feel like you have no idea what you’re doing

  • Why the CFO is the single most important relationship for the CMO in the early days

  • Why no-one ever gets fired for going over-budget

  • Why you should think about talent management in the same way as marketing or digital transformation

  • How three words can help you reframe your personal brand.

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