Some months ago, we ran a forum asking the question whether marketing directors made good CEOs. The outcome was a resounding ‘yes'.
They have the ability - acquired through learning their craft - to motivate their colleagues by an understanding of what makes them tick and they have an in-built dedication to generating fresh demand because their training has taught them to focus on growth.
There are numerous examples of marketing directors rising to the top of the pole - Dianne Thompson at Camelot, Stuart Murphy at 118 118, Andy Duncan at Channel 4 and, of course, Martin Glenn at Birds Eye. It is no coincidence that all of these companies are innovative and successful largely because of the background of their leaders.
However do media sales people make good CEOs? I'm afraid I think the answer is probably no. The skills that they have - competitiveness, aggression, a lack of empathy - do not seem to translate well into the boardroom when a degree of tact is surely required in bringing others on side. Given the difficult business decisions that will need to be made by most companies in the coming months, these attributes look decidedly irrelevant - I think it will be the former marketers who will succeed in steering their businesses through rocky times rather than the former sales people. Or am I being unfair?
