BY BRIDGING STRATEGIES, CMOS BRING FOCUS AND CLARITY TO THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION

NICKI DEWHURST
Vice President Marketing, Sophos, Asia Pacific & Japan

“Traditional marketing focused on promoting products and brands through familiar channels like print, email, websites, even TV, using a structured and linear approach to engagement. Modern marketing leadership, however, requires agility to match the pace of change, the ability to translate complexity into value, help your business stand out in a crowded market place, while maintaining a commitment to cross-functional collaboration. It’s a team sport now.

AI is already changing the way people buy and how we reach them. Social media influences every layer of marketing from strategy to campaigns and execution. As leaders, we need to zoom out, stay current, and create space for our teams to test, learn, grow, and succeed. At the same time, marketers are expected to be more data-driven than ever, using insights to achieve better results and greater productivity. With time being tight, resources becoming scarce and the landscape moving fast, it is important that we still make space to experiment, fail fast, and grow to ensure we stay sharp and stay ahead.

Evolution of the Future CMO

The future CMO won’t just support business strategy, but we will help shape it. As markets shift, customer behaviours change, and AI continues to influence how we work, CMOs are uniquely placed to bring clarity and cohesion across the business. CMOs need to build cultures of learning, experimentation, and agility. We can’t just scale what works and centralize it. The strongest marketing leaders will know how to balance data and creativity using AI and analytics to drive smarter, faster decisions, while staying grounded in human insight and storytelling.”