CMO Moves May 2025
While CEOs brace for economic whiplash and supply chains play limbo, marketing chiefs are still getting crowned at a record pace. Uncertainty is the word of the year, but don’t tell that to the 210 new CMOs we’ve counted in 2025 alone (including those announced in May). This hiring wave has no interest in slowing down.
After a modest dip in April, May clocked in another 43 new CMO appointments globally. That’s 21 women, 22 men, nudging the gender balance ever so slightly back toward the gents.
Of these 43 new marketing bosses, 8 were promoted from within, while 35 were poached from outside the company. 17 are first-timers in the big seat, but only 3 switched sectors entirely, proving that while companies are happy to gamble on fresh leadership, they still prefer someone who speaks the local lingo.
The U.S., as ever, dominated the field with 36 new CMOs across 16 states. California led the pack with 8, followed by Massachusetts (5), New York (4), and a neat three-way tie between Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Texas (3 each).
Internationally, India stood out with 2 new hires, while Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Italy each welcomed one CMO apiece.
As for industry spread? Tech continues its hiring at pace with 16 new CMOs, trailed by Professional Services (11), Media/Sports/Entertainment (5), Retail (4), and Manufacturing (3).
Spotlight on Recent Appointments:
- Medtronic Diabetes: Kate Cronin, former Moderna brand chief known for making complex healthcare stories accessible, has joined Medtronic Diabetes as CMO to help the brand connect more personally with patients in the competitive diabetes device market.
- Amazon Project Kuiper: Clint Patterson, credited with transforming T-Mobile's marketing, has been appointed CMO of Amazon's Project Kuiper to lead the brand strategy as it prepares to compete with Starlink in the satellite internet space.
- Fastly: Albert Thong, a pragmatic, numbers-focused insider who has helped shape Fastly’s go-to-market strategy, has quietly been promoted to CMO as the company focuses on enterprise growth and measurable ROI.
- Victoria's Secret & Co.: Elizabeth Preis, known for steady leadership at Anthropologie and major retail brands, has been appointed CMO of Victoria’s Secret to help restore customer trust and structure at a pivotal moment for the company.
- Anthropologie: Barbra Sainsurin, a digital and brand marketing leader with experience at Under Armour and American Express, has been promoted to Global CMO of Anthropologie, marking a rare planned succession as the brand enjoys strong momentum.
- Sabre: Jennifer Catto, an experienced marketer in travel and tech, has been named CMO of Sabre to clarify the brand's value and support its platform transformation as the company seeks to simplify and regain market confidence.
Click on the links below to find out more about these CMOs and their new mandates:
