Across industry verticals—from BFSI to D2C to tech—leaders surfaced a tough truth at the MMA Global India Board meeting in Gurugram, where they collectively reflected on the evolving identity, and possible obsolescence—of the Chief Marketing Officer.
Board members included Greg Stuart (MMA Global), Prasanth Kumar (WPP Media), Arvind R P (McDonald’s), Bhaskar Ramesh (Google), Chandan Mukherji (Nestle), Chella Pandyan (Domino’s), Nikhil Sharma (Perfetti Van Melle), Pulkit Trivedi (Snapchat), Rohit Bhasin (Kotak Mahindra Bank) and more.
We narrowed down insights from the meeting into eight sharp provocations that now form the backbone of a critical narrative MMA India is driving forward—one that could redefine the role, relevance and responsibilities of marketing leadership in 2025 and beyond.
1. The CMO Title Is In Crisis—And So Is Its Perception
Across multiple sectors, CMOs are being reduced to “brand heads” or “communications leads.” The true levers of business growth—CX, data, performance and digital—are often managed by other CXOs. Several board members argued that “Chief Marketing Officer” no longer captures the function’s full scope—and that perhaps the title itself is due for a reset.
The board agreed: the role of marketing today is to drive growth. But the structure, language and perception of the CMO still lean toward brand-building and not business impact. The emerging consensus? Marketing must earn its seat by being growth-first, not ad-first.
From BFSI to consumer goods, board members shared a recurring theme: marketing is fractured. “Performance” sits in one team, “CX” in another, and data often lives outside the marketing function. This dilution is making it harder for CMOs to deliver end-to-end impact—and easier for others to take over critical mandates.
Vivek Gambhir (LightSpeed) noted that in many unicorns and D2C setups, marketing is founder-led, and marketers are seen as optional. This is a dangerous precedent. If the industry doesn’t define the value of marketing leadership, others will define it by exclusion.
“Marketing is seen as a cost centre,” said Sunita Bangard (Aditya Birla Group). And that perception won’t change until marketers speak in business terms. The board emphasised the need for CMOs to build fluency in finance, ROI and business KPIs—or risk becoming irrelevant in high-stake conversations.
Deepali Naair (CK Birla Group) pointed to a harsh reality: many marketing leaders today are focused on storytelling, not outcome delivery. Whether it’s e-commerce revenue, digital sales or retention, the future CMO must take charge of outcomes, not just campaigns.
The conversation moved beyond job titles to structural change. As Greg Stuart shared, MMA’s work globally shows that aligning marketing capabilities with business strategy directly impacts growth. In India, the same recalibration is overdue—with many CMOs still not owning the full value chain.
The boardroom consensus? We don’t need a new title for the sake of it. We need a new definition of leadership. Whether the future belongs to Chief Growth Officers or Business Architects, one thing is clear—marketing leadership must reassert its place at the table, or risk being written out of the strategy altogether.
Closing Thoughts
The CMO title no longer reflects the power, potential or pressure of modern marketing leadership. The question isn’t whether the CMO role should evolve. It’s whether marketers are ready to lead that evolution—before someone else does it for them.
As MMA Global India moves into H2, the board has set the tone for a sharper, bolder conversation - one that could reshape not just how CMOs are seen, but what they actually stand for.
