2025 was another busy year for marketing headhunters and corporate HR teams.
The last 12 months have seen new chief marketing officers (CMOs) take the reins at giants like McDonald’s and Mastercard, while others, including the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Poppi, are currently without dedicated CMOs.
Some companies, such as tech challenger Nothing and Cadillac F1, hired their first CMOs, gearing up for a new chapter in 2026.
If you’re struggling to keep pace with all the change, or need a reminder of who has landed where, ADWEEK has rounded up some of 2025’s biggest CMO firsts, exits, and shuffles.
Keep scrolling to see the moves that shaped the year.
Biggest Exits
Tariq Hassan, McDonald’s
What changed? Longtime McDonald’s USA chief marketing and customer experience officer, Tariq Hassan, resigned from his role in early 2025. He was succeeded by Alyssa Buetikofer, CMO of McDonald’s Canada. In his four years at the fast-food giant, Hassan oversaw major campaigns including “Fan Truths” and the viral revival of Grimace.
Why it matters: Hassan departed at a turbulent time for the business. In the third quarter of 2024, McDonald’s posted its biggest global sales decline since 2020. It also needed to restore its reputation as a value destination and win back trust after an E. coli outbreak in late 2024. While sales have since grown, McDonald’s still has work to do in “re-engaging the low-income consumer,” CEO Chris Kempczinski said in an August earnings call. –Brittaney Kiefer
Tammy Henault, NBA
