49: Inside the Shifts Shaping CMO Roles and Hiring: Insights from Spencer Stuart's Marketing, Sales & Communications Officer Practice Leader, Richard Sanderson

49: Inside the Shifts Shaping CMO Roles and Hiring: Insights from Spencer Stuart's Marketing, Sales & Communications Officer Practice Leader, Richard Sanderson

Author: Alan B. Hart August 5, 2026 Duration: 38:39

How are the expectations for CMOs evolving? 

In this episode, Richard Sanderson, Spencer Stuart's marketing, sales & communications officer practice leader, returns to the podcast to discuss how CMOs and other marketing leaders can address the growing pressure from boards and CEOs to demonstrate clearer business impact.  

Richard breaks down the competing forces that are shaping and amplifying that pressure:  

  • The expectation to connect their work more directly to enterprise value 
  • The need to align structure, scope and skills to specific business challenges 
  • And the expectation to deliver growth, efficiency, brand, trust, and customer experience.  

He dives deeper to discuss how AI is reshaping the marketing function—especially in larger companies, where executives and stakeholders are growing impatient to see experimentation turned into measurable results. Richard provides experience-based recommendations for how CMOs can harness AI for a positive impact on both their department's efficacy and the customer experiences they deliver. 

Richard also reveals the qualities he sees that set stronger marketing leaders apart, including an enterprise-wide perspective, close collaboration with CFOs and hands-on AI literacy. This episode offers practical strategies to help marketing leaders navigate and satisfy these changing expectations. 

 

In this episode, you'll hear: 

How CMOs can tie marketing more directly to enterprise value 

Why marketing teams may want to embrace AI-driven change at the infrastructure level 

What sets CMOs apart in a rapidly changing business landscape 

 

Key highlights: 

[00:00] Introduction 

[02:00] Turning 50 

[03:40] Today's C-suite hiring trends 

[05:05] What CEOs look for in a CMO 

[07:15] Balancing growth and efficiency, with AI 

[15:50] How a CMO's scope has changed 

[21:05] Chief marketing officer, or chief customer officer? 

[25:10] What separates a thriving CMO from a struggling CMO 

[28:45] Leading while being a teammate 

[29:10] What CMOs need to study right now: Organizational design 

[31:15] How CMOs can tackle AI-driven change 

[34:20] Largest potential opportunity for CMOs: Embracing transformation 

 

Resources mentioned:   

 

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Connect with Richard and Spencer Stuart: 

 

Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:    

Connect with Alan Hart on LinkedIn  

Connect with Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn  

Connect with Deloitte Digital on Instagram  

Connect with Deloitte Digital on YouTube  

Connect with Deloitte Digital on Threads    


Hosted by Alan B. Hart, Marketing Beyond moves past the buzzwords and surface-level tactics to explore the real strategic decisions shaping modern business. Each episode features a candid, in-depth conversation with a chief marketing officer or a founder who has fundamentally changed how a brand connects with its audience. These aren't just success stories; Alan guides his guests into discussing the pivotal failures, the unexpected pivots, and the nuanced challenges that rarely make the keynote stage. You'll hear firsthand how leaders navigate the convergence of creativity, data, and technology in a rapidly shifting landscape. This podcast provides a rare, unfiltered look at the thinking behind major campaigns and business transformations, offering practical wisdom rather than just theory. For anyone curious about the human judgment and long-term vision required to build lasting brands, these discussions cut straight to the core. Listening feels like being a fly on the wall for a masterclass in strategic marketing, where the focus is always on what comes next.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

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