High-End Marketing Executive Search
by Former Marketers

MarketPro is a high-end executive search firm focused exclusively on senior marketing leadership. For more than 30 years, we have helped organizations hire innovative marketing executives who drive real business growth.

Our team has completed more than 300 Chief Marketing Officer searches and over 400 additional senior marketing leadership hires. These roles include leaders responsible for digital marketing / transformation, brand, performance / growth marketing, data and analytics, demand generation, e-commerce, communications, public relations, product marketing / product management, and enterprise-level marketing strategy.

What makes MarketPro different is simple. Every recruiter on our executive search team is a former marketer.

We have built and led marketing teams, managed budgets, owned revenue targets, and worked directly with executive leadership. Because we have years in these roles ourselves, we understand and recognize the difference between a leader who can speak confidently about strategy and one who has actually driven results across channels, markets, and business cycles. Our collective experience allows us to evaluate talent in ways generalist search firms cannot.

How We Identify True Marketing A-Players

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Marketing leaders are skilled communicators, and sometimes a strong storytelling ability can mask weak execution. Our background and experience as marketers provide us with deeper knowledge that allows us to separate vision from what candidates have actually delivered and to identify strategic acumen rather than just persuasive language.

A MarketPro A-Player is a marketing executive who ranks in the top 15 percent of global marketing talent and consistently delivers measurable results. They shape strategy, influence the organization, and as leaders consistently show:

  • A clear record of revenue growth tied directly to marketing initiatives.
  • Proven success in customer acquisition, retention, and brand equity.
  • Experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing the senior leadership in the C-suite.
  • Strong understanding across digital, performance, brand, and lifecycle marketing.
  • The ability to scale marketing organizations through growth, change, or transformation.

These are not seat-fillers, but leaders who reshape and elevate how marketing drives the complete organization.

Executive Search Focus and Placement Experience

MarketPro specializes in C-suite and senior marketing leadership roles, including:

  • Chief Marketing Officer
  • Chief Product Officer
  • Head of Marketing
  • Head of Brand
  • Head of Digital Marketing
  • Head of Communications
  • Head of eCommerce
  • Head of Performance Marketing
  • Head of Growth Marketing
  • Head of Market Intelligence

Our clients range from venture-backed startups and private equity portfolio companies to Fortune 500 global brands.

We understand how the expectations and demands of a marketing leader constantly change based on company size, growth stage, and competitive environment. From building foundational teams to leading complex global organizations, our placement experience spans multiple industries, including:

Retail and Consumer

Home Depot, Colgate-Palmolive, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Publix, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Constellation Brands, Georgia-Pacific, General Motors, Porsche Cars North America, Molson Coors, Owens Corning

Finance, Transportation, and Services

Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citizens Bank, Delta, Truist, InterContinental Hotels Group, Old Dominion Freight Line, AT&T, UPS, Verizon

Education

Southern New Hampshire University

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Ivim Health, Agilon Health, Medtronic, Merz Aesthetics, UCB Pharma, UF Health Shands

Nonprofit Organizations

American Lung Association, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Arthritis Foundation, National 4-H
Decor 1 Decor 2

Find Your Ideal Marketing Leader

The right marketing leader starts with the right direction. We help you translate that into a clear candidate profile and deliver executives who meet that standard for your organization.
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Find Your Ideal Marketing Leader

Why Companies and Marketing Leaders Choose MarketPro

Every executive search is different, but our standards remain consistent. Clients trust MarketPro with their most important marketing hires because we combine deep marketing knowledge with disciplined executive search execution.

We are often brought in when the role is highly visible, the timeline is critical, and the cost of a mis-hire is high. Our clients value our expertise and that we speak the same language as the candidates we evaluate, and understand the real pressures marketing leaders face once they step into the role.

Hear from Bill Koleszar, a fellow CMO, on why marketing leaders trust MarketPro to manage their most critical executive searches.

Why Companies and Marketing Leaders Choose MarketPro

“MarketPro has done an exceptional job of presenting us with A-level candidates to take on this critical role,” states Wimmer. “We couldn’t be any happier with the experience and results the executive recruiting team helped us achieve. It was clear throughout our process that MarketPro’s expertise in marketing consistently added value. We are very excited to have Julia joining our team, we are confident she will make both a short and long-term impact.”
Harold Wimmer, National President & CEO, American Lung Association.
MarketPro is an extremely professional and talented Executive Recruitment firm who builds strong relationships with both clients and potential candidates.strong> As a candidate who recently worked with MarketPro to obtain a position, I found them to be a trustworthy partner, who did a great job in balancing the needs of the company with my needs as a candidate. In my new role I have hired two direct reports from MarketPro. They have both exceeded all our expectations and one was promoted within his first six months on the job.
Dana Jones, CMO, Sabre
Our search process with MarketPro was great. The search team worked to understand not only our functional requirements but also to deliver candidates that aligned to our mission driven organization. Every candidate presented exceeded our expectations and added value to the overall process. That said, we are thrilled to welcome Alana to our team, she is the exact right person to take our marketing to new heights.
Amelia Manning, EVP, Southern New Hampshire University College of Online Continuing
This is not the first time we have partnered with MarketPro. We go back to them for senior level marketing roles because they deliver at a consistently high level. In the end we had multiple great candidates to choose from for each role. The toughest part was picking from multiple talented professionals.
Charles Freund, EVP Global Sales, FleetCor Technologies
“MarketPro has done an exceptional job of presenting us with A-level candidates to take on this critical role,” states Wimmer. “We couldn’t be any happier with the experience and results the executive recruiting team helped us achieve. It was clear throughout our process that MarketPro’s expertise in marketing consistently added value. We are very excited to have Julia joining our team, we are confident she will make both a short and long-term impact.”
Harold Wimmer, National President & CEO, American Lung Association.
MarketPro proved to be a great partner and acted as an extension of our team. They helped us fill critical executive roles requiring unique skill sets within a tight timeframe. MarketPro provided dedicated and focused attention to our needs. We look forward to continuing our partnership.
Julie Cobb, SVP Human Resources, Bank of America
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The MarketPro Executive Search Process

Our marketer for marketer approach is supported by a structured, research-driven process designed to improve the quality of hire while reducing time to fill.
1

Strategic Talent Mapping

Every search begins with extensive in depth research, where we identify and map approximately 175 qualified marketing leaders who match the requirements of the role, industry context, and company goals. This includes both active and passive candidates who may not be visible through traditional recruiting channels.
2

Marketing Focused Vetting

Our internal team of former marketers conducts detailed interviews with roughly 75 candidates. These conversations focus on real marketing results, including growth impact, decision-making ownership, team leadership, and execution across various channels. We assess what candidates have personally led and delivered, not just efforts they have supported.
3

Structured Leadership and Fit Assessment

The top 25 candidates move forward to participate in a structured video interview using a Top-grading leadership assessment methodology. This step evaluates:

  • Marketing expertise across strategy, execution, and measurement.
  • Leadership effectiveness and team-building capability.
  • Cultural alignment with your organization’s values and operating style.

This helps ensure candidates are not only strong marketers but also effective leaders within your organization.

4

Final Shortlist Presentation

We present only the most elite candidates:

  • Most searches result in six to seven finalists.
  • Relocation searches may include eight to ten candidates to account for geographic considerations.

Every candidate presented has been fully vetted, is genuinely interested in the opportunity, and aligns with the role requirements.

5

Clear Communication and Momentum

We maintain momentum through weekly update meetings and detailed progress tracking. This structure keeps stakeholders aligned, reduces delays between interviews, and helps secure top marketing talent before competitors do.

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Trusted by Fortune 500 global brands, venture-backed startups, and high-performing companies.
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Marketing Executive Search

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Executive Search FAQs

What should I be looking for in an executive search partner?
The number one thing you should be looking for in an executive search partner is their expertise in recruiting executives in your desired niche. For example, if you are searching for the CMO, your executive search partner must have experience in marketing executive recruitment that is very different from IT recruitment, sales recruitment, or any other niche. In addition, there are a few more credentials we recommend you look for in an executive search provider. Our recommendations are outlined in the video above (top of the page).
Why shouldn’t I just hire a marketing executive myself?
As the importance of marketing has grown, so have the stakes of having the right leadership in place. You can’t afford to hire the wrong person. Unfortunately, most businesses are poorly equipped to recruit top marketing leadership. Marketing is evolving so quickly, it’s difficult for anyone to keep up and identify true talent unless they have hands-on marketing experience themselves. That’s why we recommend partnering with an executive search firm that specifically focuses on marketing and related disciplines.
How long should it take me to fill an executive level marketing role?
This is one of the most common questions we get. After 26+ years of placing marketing executives nationwide we can confidently say that most executive searches should take 10-12 weeks. For very senior marketing executive positions it might take a little longer. For comparison, most executive search firms have a time-to-fill of six months or more.
What skills and experience should I be looking for to hire a transformative leader?
If you’re starting an executive search to assist your organization in digital transformation, we recommend looking for a few essential experiences and traits. On our website, you can explore invaluable recommendations for identifying the transformative leader your company needs for its digital transformation.
Who should be on the CMO interview panel?
The right interview panel is very important during every interview process. When it comes to interviewing CMO candidates, your panel should include C-level executives and your company's A-players. The exact formula will be different for different companies, but we do recommend following these general best practices.
What kind of degree should we be expecting in candidates when we’re looking for a marketing executive?
A college degree (including an MBA) can give some valuable insights into an executive candidate, but it’s also easy to be misled by candidates' education credentials. When considering an applicant’s education record or setting degree requirements in your job description, you need to consider a lot of factors that may significantly impact the outcome of your search. We explain more here.
Intuition vs. facts: what do I do if something about a candidate seems "off" but can't put my finger on what?
Finding the right fit for your marketing executive opening isn't an easy task, especially when many decision makers and executives are involved into the interviewing process. Often great candidates get rejected only because an interviewer just "doesn't like" him/her. We recommend to remain objective during the interview process and rely on hard facts. Top-tier talent is a hot commodity, especially in marketing.
Who should handle compensation negotiation in a marketing executive search?

We strongly recommend letting your marketing executive search partner take the lead on all matters of compensation discussion and negotiation. That includes salary, signing bonus, benefits, stock options, days off, etc.

Keep in mind that arranging a smooth, agreeable win-win remuneration arrangement is our job. It’s what you’re paying for when you join in the partnership, and something we’ve done hundreds of time. We know how to navigate this sensitive topic and balance personal feelings with business necessities to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. We’ll help you begin your relationship with your new marketing leader on the right foot. You’ll move forward with confidence in the ROI of your hire and they can join satisfied that you value their contribution to your organization.

How important is corporate tenure in a marketing executive search partner?
Extremely important! When choosing an executive search agency, you should seek out those stocked with recruiters who have been there for over five years. This is a strong signal of stability, and ensures that the individuals working on your job are likely to have a firm grasp of the relevant talent and have a strong network.
Should your marketing executive search partner have a commitment to diversity?
Yes. You are looking to hire top talent that is a snapshot of the people who buy your product.  So you need to have a diverse slate of candidates to interview.  As a WBENC certified business, we started our commitment to diversity on day one in 1996. This allows you to bring different perspectives to your organization and to avoid group think. A diverse workforce has a positive impact on your culture and bottom line. MarketPro always strives to include at least one woman and one person of color in all of our candidate slates, so you have the ability to add fresh perspectives and more context to the way you do business. Learn more about our commitment to diversity here.

Hire Top Marketing Executives from Anywhere in the U.S.

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