CMO Moves April Summary

April saw 39 new CMOs step into the spotlight across the globe, with women maintaining a slight lead - 21 versus 18 men. Out of the total, only 7 were internal promotions, while a whopping 32 were brought in from outside. And 4 of those hires came from entirely different industries - a gutsy move that earns them the unofficial title of “Industry Travelers.” As for career milestones, 17 of these appointments mark the execs’ first-ever swing at the C-level bat. Not too shabby.

The United States continued its unrelenting dominance in CMO hiring, accounting for 28 of the new appointments. California, unsurprisingly, came out on top with 6 hires. Texas followed with 3, and then came a pack of states - Connecticut, Florida, New York, Georgia, and Pennsylvania - each contributing 2 new CMOs to the ranks.

Across the pond, the UK kept the momentum going with 3 new CMO announcements, while other countries joining the action included China, India, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, and Sweden. It's clear the marketing world is spinning on a very global axis.

Tech, true to form, continued to lead the industry tally with 11 new CMOs appointed across Software Development, Telecoms, and Cybersecurity. Retail came in next with 7, while Financial Services brought on 4 new marketing chiefs. Professional Services and Manufacturing sectors each welcomed 3 CMOs into the fold.

CMO Appointments by Sector/Industry Group

• Tech: 11

• Retail: 7

• Financial Services: 4

• Professional Services: 3

• Manufacturing: 3

• BioTech, Pharma, Healthcare: 2

• Restaurants: 2

• Hotel and Travel: 2

• Media, Sports & Entertainment: 2

• CPG: 2

• Automotive: 1

SNAP

Grace Kao just landed one of the most scrutinized marketing gigs in tech, and unlike most of her CMO peers in April, she rose from inside the building. Snap’s decision to promote Kao from VP to CMO breaks from the norm. Of the 39 CMO appointments we’ve tracked this month, only 7 came from within. That makes this move notable for what it says about Kao and what it signals about Snap’s leadership mindset in a market still obsessed with importing fresh talent from outside.

Kao’s not some accidental insider. Her resume reads like a blueprint for modern brand leadership: agency roots at TBWA\Chiat\Day and Goodby Silverstein, followed by stints scaling business marketing at Instagram and Spotify. Before Snap, she led the “Spreadbeats” campaign at Spotify, one of the most celebrated B2B brand efforts of the year, grabbing hardware at Cannes and proving enterprise storytelling doesn’t have to be dull. Kao knows how to build a narrative that lands, which is exactly what Snap needs right now.

Because Snap is having an identity moment. Is it a social network? A hardware company? An AR innovator? It wants to be all three. But advertisers buy clarity, not confusion. They want performance, positioning, and a platform their CFO can understand. That’s Kao’s mission: reframe Snap not as a Gen Z novelty, but as a reliable growth engine. The numbers are there: 450 million DAU’s and 16 percent revenue growth in 2024. But the perception still lags behind the potential.

Her appointment comes as Snap reshuffles its leadership deck to stabilize the business side. Ajit Mohan’s elevation to Chief Business Officer earlier this year signals a push for sharper regional strategies and tighter commercial focus. But Kao’s job goes beyond alignment. She has to rewrite the narrative; because no matter how playful the product, Wall Street wants precision. On April 30, Snap’s stock dropped 12 percent in a single day, erasing $2 billion in value, and it didn’t bounce back today either. Investors aren’t here for vibes.

That’s what makes this promotion matter. Snap didn’t chase a celebrity outsider. It backed someone who already knows the company’s guts. Kao doesn’t need an orientation, she needs a mandate. This isn’t about BAU. It’s about making Snap matter more. The company bet on internal talent. Now we get to see if that bet pays off.

PEPSICO (International Foods)

PepsiCo just tapped Jonnie Cahill as its new CMO of international foods, and it couldn’t come at a more turbulent time. The company is grappling with a rare cocktail of pressure: rising tariffs, FDA crackdowns on synthetic additives, and a sharp decline in consumer confidence. In the latest earnings report, PepsiCo slashed its growth forecast and revealed a 1.8% dip in Q1 revenue, dragging its stock price to near a 52-week low. At $135 a share, the company's market cap now hovers around $184 billion, down from earlier expectations. Wall Street isn’t thrilled. Even The Motley Fool left PepsiCo off its latest “Top 10 Stocks” list, noting broader macroeconomic headwinds and a less-than-bullish near-term outlook.

Enter Cahill. His résumé reads like a masterclass in global marketing operations: CMO at Heineken USA since 2018, preceded by high-level roles at Telefónica and Diageo. At PepsiCo, he’ll oversee brand development for giants like Doritos, Lay’s, and Quaker across international markets. He’s replacing Mustafa Shamseldin, who’s been moved into a growth strategy role - corporate-speak for “we need new tactics.”

PepsiCo isn’t tweaking titles. This is part of a broader marketing reset. Over the past year, the company has watched high-profile leaders head for the exits: Former CMO Todd Kaplan to Kraft Heinz, Energy Drinks CMO Fabiola Torres to Gap, and 25-year Pepsi veteran Greg Lyons to Subway. It’s hard not to see Cahill’s appointment as an attempt to plug a widening credibility gap in the marketing org while stabilizing a portfolio that’s suddenly facing political and regulatory headwinds.

Investors, meanwhile, are asking a more urgent question: can PepsiCo hold the line on its dividend king status while its fundamentals falter? The high yield remains attractive, but the stock’s 25% slide has erased a lot of goodwill. Cahill’s mission now goes beyond clever campaigns. He’ll need to reframe these legacy brands for newer markets while navigating a cost-constrained, regulation-heavy environment. As we see it, it’s less about Super Bowl ads and more about brand durability.

As Trump’s tariffs go into effect, whether it’s a blanket 10% or China-specific duties, PepsiCo’s Natural Foods division could take a hit.

Ingredient costs could rise, especially for imported staples like nuts, grains, and oils. Packaging might get pricier too, since many eco-friendly materials come from overseas. Even if PepsiCo sources locally, tariffs tend to ripple through the supply chain, causing delays, supplier shuffles, and cost creep that all eat into margins. All this background creates difficult terrain for a marketer to navigate.

This isn’t a hero hire, it’s a different play. Cahill’s success won’t be measured by headlines but by whether PepsiCo’s snacks stay on shelves, on message, and off regulators’ radars.

DELTEK

When your products are known but not necessarily your brand, when your company is trusted but not exactly talked about, and when your funnel hums but could run faster, you don’t call an ad guy. You call Dan Barnhardt.

Deltek just did. This enterprise software company has named Barnhardt Chief Marketing Officer, handing him the keys to a sprawling remit: global brand, digital, demand gen, and customer advocacy. It’s not a turnaround play, it’s a tune-up, and Dan’s the mechanic.

His first 90 days?

This isn’t his first rodeo in complex, B2B terrain. At Icertis, he helped triple revenue and reposition the company as a contract intelligence leader. At Precisely and Infor, he scaled category storytelling and go-to-market in domains that don’t exactly scream "sexy": ERP, data integrity, supply chain. Dan’s edge isn’t flash. It’s clarity.

Deltek’s timing is sharp. They’re trusted by 30,000 customers across 80 countries, but the brand has never broken through culturally. In today’s AI-soaked software landscape, staying quiet is a risk. As government contractors, architects, and consultants rethink what “project software” even means, Deltek needs to evolve without losing the vertical credibility it’s built for decades.

That’s the needle Barnhardt’s here to thread: modernize the voice, tighten the story, and do it all without alienating a customer base that delivers complex, high-stakes projects in regulated environments. He’s not here to rebrand for fizz. We’re betting he’s here to build a demand-gen system that works under pressure and speaks to enterprise buyers.

So why’d Dan take the job?

This hire fits a broader pattern in 2025: seasoned B2B GTM operators taking the reins at mid- to late-stage tech companies that need to scale smart, not loud. Think Kimberly Storin at Zoom. Prelini Udayan-Chiechi at Wagestream. Carol Carpenter at Cohesity. These are CMOs with product DNA and pipeline instincts, not lifestyle marketers chasing headlines.

Dan shared advice with us, for others eyeing that leap from VP to CMO:

For senior marketers quietly exploring what’s next? Dan keeps it simple:

Deltek didn’t need a brand revolution. But they did need someone to make the machine sharper, smarter, and faster. That’s Dan Barnhardt. Let’s see what he builds.

🧠 Want the rest of the April roster?
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