CMO50

Judging process and criteria

The CMO50 annual list is aimed at recognising Australia’s 50 most innovative Chief Marketing Officers driving business impact within their organisation. The 2022 list is brought to you by our exclusive sponsor, Adobe.

Now in its eighth year, this annual list celebrates those leading the marketing function who are displaying innovative, strategic marketing thinking, driving business change and commercial success, showcasing modern marketing leadership, and enabling greater collaboration and better customer engagement as a result. Through this, our ultimate aim is to elevate the role of Australian marketing leaders in business and as contributors to organisational growth.

We aim to recognise the role of the CMO in 2022 via:

  • Innovative and effective marketing strategy
  • A customer engagement-led approach to marketing
  • Application of data insight in marketing strategy and customer engagement
  • Empowered, bold and strategic thinking
  • Leadership that’s driving a high-performing team and engaged culture
  • Demonstration of marketing’s commercial effectiveness and contribution to growth

To ensure our CMO50 is as comprehensive and commendable as possible, we have compiled a strong industry judging panel to determine the final 50 list. Our judging panel encompasses respected figures from different parts of the industry, including former marketing and brand leaders, agency and industry association representatives, along with creativity, leadership, innovation and data experts. All have extensive experience in marketing and its changing demands. We sincerely thank all of our judges for the time and effort they spend in helping produce this list.

The 2022 judges list includes:

  • John Batistich, non-executive board member, former director of marketing, Scentre Group (Westfield)
  • Andrew Baxter, former chair of Publicis and senior advisor to KPMG's Customer, Brand & Marketing Advisory business
  • John Broome, former CEO, AANA and former marketing chief at Kellogg's and Unilever
  • Susan Massasso, former chief brand and growth officer, The a2 Milk Company
  • David Morgan, brand consultant and founder, MacMorgan
  • Justin Papps, partner, Brand Sayers Momentum
  • Michele Phillips, managing partner, 100 Percent Partners
  • Michael Rebelo, CEO, Publicis Groupe A/NZ
  • Georgina Williams, non-executive director and former CMO
  • Mike Zeederberg, managing director, Zuni

Judges are asked to read all completed submissions and judge each on key areas: Demonstrating innovation and bold strategy; demonstrating data and/or a technology-driven maturity; demonstrating value and commercial acumen; and demonstrating leadership impact. The final combined score for each individual used as the basis for the list. Judges will meet in person to debate their scores and the final order of our CMO50 list.

As part of our submissions process, an invitation to nominate will be circulated to more than 300 of Australia’s top marketing leaders, identified by CMO’s editorial team as well as our judging panel. We also provide online links and calls to action on our website, cmo.com.au, and CMO Digest newsletter.

While there was no minimum tenure set for marketers wanting to participate, a number of CMOs have previously chosen not to enter because they have been in their respective positions for less than 12 months. Applicants need to have been in the position detailed in their application up until 30 June 2022 in order to be eligible for consideration. In addition, as part of the program and at the discretion of our judging panel, we highlight a number of new or recently installed CMOs as ‘ones to watch’ each year.

Extended and final nominations deadline for submissions is Friday 26 August 2022.

Final selections are confirmed by our judging panel and are not open to further discussion or negotiation. All scores will be kept confidential and are not being released publicly, nor will they be discussed with any individual applicants.

The 2022 CMO50 will be revealed at our special in-person CMO50 event, in CMO magazine October 2022, online in our dedicated portal: www.cmo.com.au/cmo50.

This year, we're delighted to confirm the return of our exclusive dinner event to celebrate the achievements of the CMO50 on 27 October 2022. The exclusive occasion provides a valuable networking forum for Australia’s leading marketers.