Another speaker at this year’s ROMI was Svyatoslav Stepanenko, Chief Marketing Officer at Mate academy, ex-Head of Growth at OBRIO, co-Founder and ex-CMO at Howly, and ex-CMO at Jooble. During his presentation, he shared his expertise on how to become an in-demand Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). His case is a bright example of how a marketer can become a strategic leader in a company.

Let’s look at the nuances of the CMO and Head of Marketing roles. A CMO is a top manager who oversees all marketing initiatives in the company. They are responsible for developing a marketing strategy that aligns with overall business goals. In contrast, a Head of Marketing focuses on operational management of marketing projects.

Although both roles are important, the CMO has a more strategic vision and is responsible for integrating marketing into all aspects of the business. An analogy can be drawn: if the CMO is the conductor of an orchestra, then the Head of Marketing is one of the musicians. The CMO sets the overall tempo, while the Head of Marketing plays their part, following the conductor.

The world of marketing is constantly changing, and CMOs face a number of challenges, such as rapid technological development, managing diverse teams, and analyzing large volumes of data. These challenges are relevant for CMOs worldwide. However, Ukrainian marketing directors face additional difficulties related to the war. A shortage of qualified personnel, the need to adapt to new market conditions, and forced relocation significantly complicate their work. This increases the level of responsibility for CMOs in Ukraine.

To successfully overcome challenges in a dynamic and competitive environment, it’s necessary to carefully focus on data and analytics.

• First, defining a key North Star metric is critically important, as it best reflects the progress of your business.
• Second, data accuracy is of considerable importance. If you’ve chosen revenue as a key metric, you need to clearly understand what components it contains and how each of them affects the overall result.
• Third, it’s necessary to make both popular and unpopular decisions: the main thing is that they contribute to achieving the company’s strategic goals.

In addition to analytics, creativity also plays a significant role: it manifests in external communications and internal processes. Creativity allows you to stand out in the market and create a unique brand image. Moreover, leadership and management are the keys to CMO success, but many underestimate the impact of a leader on the team and the entire company as a whole. Effective management includes:

By implementing these principles, a CMO doesn’t just form a team but cultivates a true community of professionals who are capable of not only achieving ambitious goals but also constantly developing and adapting to changes.

When communicating with investors or founders, it’s best to avoid complex terms and metrics. Instead of talking about ROI (ROMI) coefficients and GP, it’s better to explain in simple terms that by not completing certain tasks, we risk not getting the expected profit.

If we forget about business results, we risk losing our position and becoming just executors, not strategic leaders.

Tactics are the specific actions we take to achieve goals, such as choosing a marketing tool. Strategy, on the other hand, is a long-term plan that determines the direction of business development. As CMOs, we must constantly remember our unique strategy, while flexibly responding to changes and adjusting tactics.

To become a successful CMO, it’s not enough to be just a good manager. You need to have the necessary set of knowledge and skills, which can be called a marketing inventory. Here are its main components:

Why is this important? With such an inventory, a CMO can effectively control task execution and motivate employees; develop strategies that align with business goals and take into account market peculiarities; create a unified brand image across all communication channels.

It’s also worth noting that crises should be viewed as opportunities for growth, but it’s important to weigh all risks and have a financial reserve. A modern CMO must possess skills in working with artificial intelligence, automation, and flexible adaptation to changes. At the same time, one should not forget about the human factor, since it is the combination of human creativity and technological capabilities that allows for creating truly unique and appropriate marketing campaigns. Examples of AI tools can be found here:

A CMO is a leader who shapes a company’s marketing strategy, motivates the team, and builds strong relationships with customers. Continuous learning, using data for decision-making, and focusing on results are the most important aspects of a CMO’s work. The transition from marketer to strategic company leader is a gradual process that requires professional knowledge and personal growth. A modern CMO is not just a super-specialist but a visionary who is capable of transforming a business and achieving ambitious goals.