The CEO–CMO Compact: Building a Marketing Function That Earns Its Seat at the Table
When
13 May 2026
Time
6:30PM-8:30PM
Arrival
6:30 PM
Where
The Palms Town & Country Club, Gurgaon
For whom
CMO Forum
Departure
8:30 PM
Overview
Key Takeaways
Speakers
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The CEO–CMO Compact: Building a Marketing Function That Earns Its Seat at the Table
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The relationship between a CEO and a CMO is one of the most consequential, and also most misunderstood, in the modern enterprise. Marketing has expanded its remit dramatically: from brand stewardship and communications to demand generation, customer experience, and increasingly, revenue ownership. Yet in many organisations, the function remains opaque to the CEO; its contributions are difficult to measure and even harder to defend at the board level. The result is a persistent tension: the CMO struggles to demonstrate strategic value, while the CEO struggles to know what they are truly investing in.
In this session, Ranjeet Oak will draw on his experience leading consumer-facing businesses to explore how CEOs and CMOs can build a relationship of genuine utility, one that moves beyond budget cycles and campaign reviews into shared strategic ownership. He will examine what a well-structured CEO–CMO dynamic looks like in practice, how marketing leaders can communicate the function's contribution in terms the C-suite understands, and what both parties must invest in making the partnership work. The session will be candid, practitioner-led and directly relevant to the CMOs in the room and the CEOs who rely on them.
Key Takeaways
What CEOs actually expect from a CMO, and why the function so often falls short of those expectations, regardless of talent or spend.
How to structure the CEO–CMO relationship so that marketing is held accountable for outcomes, not just outputs, and earns genuine strategic influence.
How CMOs can communicate their function's value in the language of business performance — translating brand metrics, pipeline contribution and customer equity into terms the CEO and CFO find credible.
The non-negotiables on both sides: what a CEO must provide for marketing to succeed, and what a CMO must demonstrate to retain the CEO's trust and investment.
Speakers
Outcomes