The Skills Getting CMOs Hired: Insights from an Executive Search Specialist on Senior Marketer Roles and AI

Episode 166 with guest Rowan Fisk, Founder of GrowthKind  The third in our mini-series on how marketing roles are changing, in this episode we hear directly from an executive hiring specialist who speaks to over a hundred senior marketing leaders every month, on the skills that modern senior marketers need to possess (particularly in founder-led, start-up scale up and VC/entrepreneurial businesses) how AI is already reshaping recruitment and marketing org charts, and the job search advice for candidates today.    Joining Abby is Rowan Fisk, Founder of GrowthKind, an executive search company that places senior marketing, digital, and growth leadership roles into high-growth start-ups and scale-ups across the UK and EMEA.  As a trusted advisor to many founders, CEOs, and investors navigating critical leadership hires, he has real-time insight into the trends shaping marketing leadership roles and talent.    Key takeaways  The job market is recovering (not yet recovered)… Vacancies for senior marketing leaders are rising and processes are moving faster, but for anyone currently out of role, the search can still be challenging.  Curiosity is becoming a defining leadership trait… Rowan believes CQ – the willingness to test, learn and adapt – is becoming just as important as IQ and EQ for the next generation of marketing leaders.  AI is reshaping marketing teams… How AI is impacting different departments, but brand and creative roles remain harder to replace.  AI supports recruitment decisions, but doesn't replace judgement… Rowan's firm uses AI to help rank shortlisted candidates objectively, but he's overridden an AI-recommended hire when his own instincts told him something wasn't right.  Networking beats job boards… Abby and Rowan share advice for anyone job hunting to get specific about their professional superpower and share it.    00:00 — Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast 02:50 — Introducing Rowan Fisk 03:05 — What's the Real Role of Marketers Today? 05:07 — Marketing Skillset in Founder-led Businesses 09:33 — Moving From Gut Instinct to Insight-Led Decisions 12:06 — Why Performance Marketing Has Dominated Hiring 13:30 — How AI Is Fuelling a Brand Marketing Resurgence 15:30 — Short-Termism and the Case for Creativity  18:19 — Introducing CQ, the Curiosity Quotient 20:50 — Why Leaders Should Embrace Curiosity and Humility  22:53 — AI and Restructures: Growth or Rationalisation? 26:34 — AI in Recruitment: Useful Tool, Not a Replacement for Judgement 31:05 — What's Really Happening in the Marketing Job Market 36:00 — The Passive Candidate Pool Is Starting to Move 37:17 — Why Watching Your Peers Move Changes Everything 38:17 — Sharing the Wins and Getting Employee Value Proposition Right 42:07 — Getting Clear on What You Actually Want From a Role 42:57 — What's Your Superpower? 44:14 — Why Being Known for Something Beats Being Good at Everything 47:30 — Let Your Network Know What You're Looking For 50:30 — Why Most Senior Roles Never Get Advertised 52:33 — Rowan's Advice For Marketers of Tomorrow    Resources  The Whole Marketer 'Define your ideal role' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    The Whole Marketer 'Take the reins of your career' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    The Whole Marketer 'Develop your authentic leadership style' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: Rowan Fisk | LinkedIn    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.     Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.    Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.    Contact [email protected] to get in touch with Abby and the team