The Rundown: Average CMO tenure has shrunk by over a third in 16 years

By Sam Bradley • September 29, 2026 •

Ivy Liu

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A survey of 13,000 U.S. marketing professionals has found the median time in office enjoyed by CMOs is down 35% since 2010.

It’s a stark proof of what media experts and agency practitioners have noticed for a while — that their client leaders across the boardroom table often don’t stick around for long.

The study, which surveyed companies with over 100 employees, was conducted by recruitment firm Findem and networking platform CMO Huddles. The survey found that while CMOs that started their roles in 2010 typically stayed in their post for four years, from 2022 on, marketers that took on a top job lasted just 2.6 years, representing a 35% decline. The median tenure of CMOs currently in post was 36 months.

Per the report, 33% of CMOs had been in their role for more than five years, with those at public companies generally charting longer tenures. Software firms were among those with the shortest-lived CMOs, with an average of 27 months in their position.

How do marketers stack up against other job titles?

Compared to, say, English Premier League soccer coaches (15 months), CMOs are here for the long haul. But among their C-suite counterparts, only the CFO sticks around for less time — just 2.1 years, per one recent study.

According to consultants Spencer Stuart, chief executives actually hang around for longer, with their average tenure reaching 7.4 years. The tenure of chief information officers and supply chain chiefs (5.2 years each) also remained steady.

That difference can be explained when one considers U.S. companies’ top priorities in 2026: AI, cybersecurity and a tough economic outlook dominated by tariff-related pressures. All topics that make work for idle CIOs and CSOs. The relative power of the average chief marketers, however, has fallen or stalled in recent years. According to Gartner’s recent CMO surveys, marketing spend as a share of sales flatlined at 7.8% this year, down from 11.2% in 2018.

What’s caused the fall?

Shrinking tenure may be a symptom of a greater sickness — the fall in influence of CMOs.

For one, fewer companies are going with a CMO. According to Forrester just 36% of Fortune 500 firms use the CMO term, a 49% decrease on the previous year. In 2024, that figure was 55%. Another Forrester study pointed to a reduction in influence among CMOs, with 46% reporting to someone other than their CEO, suggesting they’re often at least one degree removed from the corporate top table.

Those that remain in orbit aren’t always in synch with their colleagues. According to a 2025 IDC survey, 41% of marketers say CEOs want them to develop a new customer acquisition strategy, but 30% of CMOs believe their top priority lies elsewhere: increasing revenue from existing customers, reducing costs, or some other target. Agency Boathouse, which conducts an annual CMO study, found similar themes.

“Clearly there’s a misalignment… the shrinking CMO tenure isn’t so much the story as is the misalignment of where the CMO reports and of expectations,” said Forrester analyst Jay Pattisall. “Some CEOs see marketing as a communications or campaign function, not the broad remit that includes the 4P’s.” probably worth saying what those 4 p’s are

Why does this matter?

For marketing organizations, shorter CMO tenures mean teams can lack consistent direction and a lack of advocacy for their own priorities and investments in the boardroom. It’s harder to argue for an increase in media spend when the exec in charge of that budget might not be around after next year.

Never mind that their briefs are broader than ever before. A November survey of 805 CMOs by the University of St. Gallen and Serviceplan Group found marketers juggling AI transformation briefs, brand building and budget cuts. Meanwhile, a slew of major companies recently merged their chief communications and chief marketer roles.

“Companies want marketing leaders to fix growth, reposition the business, build demand, sharpen the brand, align sales and prove impact fast,” said Drew Neisser, CEO of CMO Huddles. “But the data is screaming that too many CMOs are being handed transformation-sized mandates on trial-period timelines. That is not just hard on CMOs. It is expensive and self-defeating for companies.”

CMOs aren’t the only leaders at risk from the dreaded shrinks.

For agencies, shortening CMO tenure is often cited by account execs as one of the factors fuelling expensive pitches and cutting down on agency-client relationships (just 3.7 years for media shops, per the 4As and ANA). Each new CMO, they fear, wants to bring their own stamp and their own agency to a role.

“The transient nature of the CMO is… in all likelihood, a contributing factor,” said Pattisall.

It’s not all catastrophe, however. Short CMO tenures hold one potential benefit for agencies, Pattisall noted: When a marketer leaves one corporate berth for the next, they might take their agency with them.