The companies on the FTSE 100 are an eclectic bunch. There are household names such as Tesco, Barclays and BT, alongside less well-known brands including chemicals firm Croda International and mining company Fresnillo. But if there’s one thing they have in common it’s that none of the people who lead these businesses used to head up the marketing function.
A dive into the data on the backgrounds of these CEOs finds that, before taking on the top job, 32% were divisional directors, 14% CEOs and 12% COOs or CFOs. None were a CMO before and only two – Stefan Bomhard of Imperial Brands and Liam Condon of Johnson Matthey – have spent any time in the marketing department.
CEOs of FTSE 100 businesses are a small sample size – there are examples of former marketing bosses leading other businesses, while David Lewis, the former boss of FTSE stalwart Tesco who left in September 2020, had a marketing background. But it is a path much less well trodden than that from CFO or chief operating officer to CEO.