Which skill is most important for CMOs to succeed today?

Joshua Spanier

Vice President · Google

Growth Leadership

Joshua Spanier says CMOs need growth leadership, arguing they must own the growth conversation for the business and lead from a growth-minded perspective across their organizations, not just run campaigns.

The answer starts at 12:43.

Kellyn Smith Kenny

Chief Marketing & Growth Officer · At&T

Fulsome Diagnostic

Kellyn Smith Kenny says a fulsome diagnostic is the first and most important thing for a new CMO, because it lets them understand how the company makes money and who holds influence.

The answer starts at 9:57.

Tom Kaneshige

Chief Content Officer · CMO Council

Human Judgment

Tom Kaneshige says human judgment will be more important than ever, pushing back on the idea it will be replaced by AI, and says how well marketers or CMOs integrate the two strengths is key.

Jessica Apotheker

Managing Director & Senior Partner · Boston Consulting Group (Bcg)

Upskilling Marketers

Jessica Apotheker points to upskilling marketers, saying she sees herself as a force to train and transfer skillsets — she has trained over 3,000 marketers through upskilling and certification programs — and that ensuring clients have the right skillset for the future is really important.

The answer starts at 16:52.

Karen Spaeth Dvorak

Chief Marketing Officer · Starkey Hearing

Trust

Karen Spaeth Dvorak says trust — with both teams and clients — is the most important thing for CMOs, since leadership is built in repeated small moments and without trust with your team none of the demands on CMOs will be harnessed.

The answer starts at 40:30.

Vineet Mehra

(NASDAQ: CHYM) Chief Marketing Officer (IPO June’25) · Chime

Problem Solving

The fastest-growing skill demands are problem solving and creativity, not technical ability.

The answer starts at 40:14.

Paul Roehrig

Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer · Ascendion

Storytelling

Paul Roehrig says marketing comes down to the story you're telling, arguing that if you don't have a good story, the tactics are much less relevant.

Tom Ruwitch

Storytelling Standout - Biz Growth Strategist / Guide · Story Power Marketing

Curiosity

Tom Ruwitch says curiosity is the number one skill he recommends for marketers, because great storytelling should reflect the prospect's journey with empathy rather than being about the marketer.

Marvin Chow

VP of Consumer and AI Marketing · Google

Growth Mindset

Marvin Chow says a growth mindset is one of the important skills for marketing jobs, because he's had to learn the web, social, and AI and being open to unlearning past ways helps as things shift.

Jordan Slover

Founder · Neon Ambition

Business Acumen

Jordan Slover says business acumen: the best marketers he deals with can have business conversations with non-marketers, understand the product and where the business is going, and speak the language of business to be taken seriously.

Dawn Dawson

Chief Marketing Officer · Mortgage Solutions Financial

One-to-One Experiences

Dawn Dawson says marketers should create true experiences with AI but make them one-to-one as much as possible, because AI's efficiency isolates people and humans need to connect.

Todd Kaplan

Chief Marketing Officer, North America · Kraft Heinz

Consumer Empathy

Todd Kaplan says consumer empathy is one of the two biggest traits for CMOs, along with agility, because it means understanding what a real consumer insight is rather than citing a fact.