Russell Reynolds also reported on what it described as an “acute CMO succession crisis,” noting that more than 80 percent of publicly reported CMO appointments in the year’s first half were external hires. The firm cited the highly specialized nature of roles beneath the CMO, which often focus on single functions like CRM and data and analytics. As a result, companies are looking externally rather than promoting internal talent because “many of these mid-level marketing leaders lack a deep understanding of the full spectrum of marketing that is demanded of a CMO today,” the report says. …see more