For 20 years, executive search and advisory firm Spencer Stuart has published data on chief marketing officer (CMO) tenure. Since 2022, the average number of years that marketing bosses stay in one role has hovered around 4 years.
ADWEEK can exclusively reveal that CMO tenure among S&P 500 companies now stands at 4.1 years in 2025, down slightly from 4.3 years in 2024. That compares to 5 years for all C-suite roles.
Chief executives (CEOs) stay an average of 7.6 years, while chief financial officers (CFOs) typically remain in post for 4.7. Only chief operating officers’ (COO) tenures were shorter, at 3.3 years on average, owing to their aspirations to step up to the CEO office.
The reason for the incremental year-on-year CMO tenure decline, according to Richard Sanderson, who leads Spencer Stuart’s marketing, sales, and communications officer practice in North America, is due to the influence of longtime CMO exits on the dataset. For instance, Raja Rajamannar left Mastercard after 13 years as chief marketing and communications officer.
While some might read CMOs’ comparatively short reigns as an indication they’re failing to make an impact or being fired, Sanderson said the data shows the opposite to be true.
“Short tenure is actually a function of the role,” he told ADWEEK, “because the CMO role is a developmental one that leads as a stepping stone or a springboard onto bigger things.”
Below, ADWEEK unpacks four of the top findings from Spencer Stuart’s 2025 CMO Tenure report.
1. CMOs are moving on up
When CMOs leave their role, they are likely to advance to bigger responsibilities, the report found.
Of the 218 CMO exits between 2021 and 2025, nearly two-thirds (62%) were either promoted at their company or went on to a similar or bigger role at another company.
Notably, 9% advanced to a CEO role, as Hinge’s Jackie Jantos did in 2025 after four years as marketing chief. 13% become a divisional CEO, COO, or president.
Of those leaving their organization, 77% of CMOs landed at a new company within six months.
