21 August 2025 14:00 - 14:45
Panel - What even is a CMO in 2025? “CMO” Is not a job—It’s a catch-all.
The CMO title has always been a little slippery. But in 2025, it’s starting to feel downright broken. Crucial tensions about: the evolution of the role, the “art vs. science” narrative, and the highly context-specific nature of what CMOs are expected to do. From whispers about eliminating the title entirely to the rise of CROs, Chief Brand Officers, and hybrid GTM leaders, the modern marketing executive is being stretched across more disciplines, and more organizational expectations, than ever.
In this panel, we’ll explore the core question: Is “CMO” still a useful title? Or is it time for a strategic reset?
We’ll unpack:
The emergence of marketing-adjacent roles like CRO, CGO, and CBO and what they signal about how companies now value marketing
The growing split between marketing’s “science” (revenue ops, demand gen, data) and “art” (brand, engagement, storytelling) and whether that split serves or harms marketing leadership
What does it mean if one CMO’s mandate might is product-market fit and team-building, while another’s is board management, GTM orchestration, or pipeline delivery
If you’ve ever questioned whether “CMO” actually describes your job, or whether the expectations around it are setting you up to fail, this is your session. Come challenge assumptions, swap stories, and weigh in on where we go from here.