The Evolving CMO: Restructures, Strategy, and the Future of Marketing 

How is the role of a fintech CMO evolving amongst restructures and shifting priorities?

Right now, fintechs are seeing plenty of investment flowing through, but with that comes more pressure to make every marketing dollar count. Teams are smaller, hierarchies flatter, and responsibilities spread wider. Marketing Week recently flagged that marketing restructures are at their highest in three years, and it’s clear this is shaking up how fintechs think about strategy and career paths. So, what does this mean for the future of marketing leadership? And what happens when marketing gets pushed aside in favour of short-term gains? 

We spoke to our EC1 Partners marketing specialists Sadie Sirlin (US) and Sophie Fowler (EMEA) to unpack the evolving role of a fintech CMOs and what hiring trends tell us about where marketing leadership is heading next. 

Marketing Under Pressure  

Even as many fintechs continue to raise impressive funding rounds, there’s growing scrutiny over how that capital is deployed – putting added pressure on marketing budgets. CMOs are being asked to prove the ROI of their strategies more rigorously than ever. 

Sophie comments, “We’re seeing a trend where brand and content-led initiatives are being scaled back, even though they’ve historically been key drivers of awareness and trust. Leadership teams want to see a direct line between marketing spend and revenue impact, which puts pressure on CMOs to focus on short-term wins like paid campaigns or lead generation.”  

The risk is that without continued investment in storytelling, brand recognition, and community building, fintechs can start to lose their differentiation. That’s when the market floods with lookalike messaging and customer loyalty can take a hit. 

Whether driven by investor expectations or internal commercial goals, this shift is changing how marketing operates. There’s less room for experimentation and a higher demand for strategies that directly impact pipeline and revenue. 

 But deprioritising longer-term brand equity in favour of short-term performance comes with risks, especially in saturated markets where trust and credibility are key. So, how can CMOs strike the right balance? 

The Expanding Scope of the CMO Role

Today’s fintech CMO is no longer just a brand leader; they’re expected to be growth strategists, product evangelists, and customer advocates. With smaller teams and broader remits, the role has become significantly more complex. “Many candidates we speak with are managing go-to-market strategy, lifecycle marketing, and even sales enablement – all under one remit and often with limited resources,” explains Sadie Sirlin. “Increasingly, businesses are looking for leaders who can roll up their sleeves and operate across the full funnel, while still driving strategic growth.” 

This change can also be seen through differing job titles. Traditional CMO roles are being recast as Heads of Growth, VPs of GTM, or Chief Revenue Officers – reflecting a stronger emphasis on measurable commercial impact. 

The change requires a skill set that combines brand and storytelling expertise with performance marketing, data fluency, and alignment across product and revenue teams. It also extends to technical responsibilities, including overseeing content infrastructure. Tools like headless CMSs, for example, are now essential for delivering personalised, scalable experiences in fintech, as highlighted by ABC Money. 

Bridging Marketing and Technology Leadership 

The evolution of the fintech CMO role doesn’t happen in isolation. Just as marketing leadership is expanding to include growth strategy and tech fluency, other leadership roles are also adapting, especially the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). As we explored in our look at the CTO role, technology leaders are increasingly key to driving innovation and customer experience in fintech. 

Successful fintech businesses are those where marketing and technology leaders work hand-in-hand, blending data, customer insights, and agile tech platforms to create personalised, scalable experiences. Understanding how these roles interconnect is critical when building leadership teams that can keep pace with fast-changing demands. 

The Impact When Senior Marketers Are Cut  

What are the hidden costs when fintechs reduce senior marketing roles? 

When senior marketing roles are removed during restructures, businesses lose more than just headcount. They can lose institutional knowledge, strategic perspective, and the ability to steer brand direction in a saturated market. 

Sophie explains, “Junior-heavy teams can deliver tactical campaigns, but without strategic oversight, you often see disjointed messaging and unclear positioning. You may also find higher turnover, as without clear mentoring for career progression or open discussions regarding working up the ladder, junior professionals may feel undervalued and look for this elsewhere.” The result is often a reactive approach that limits long-term growth. 

Short-Term Wins vs. Long-Term Brand Equity  

It makes sense that performance marketing gets so much attention – it’s measurable and delivers quick results. In tighter fintech budgets, the pressure to show short-term ROI is real. But fintechs that pull back on brand-building risk hitting a wall when the market bounces back. 

Sadie comments, “The fintechs we’ve seen come through tough times strongest are the ones who kept investing in content, community, and thought leadership, even when things got tight. That consistent effort builds trust and loyalty, giving them a real edge when growth picks up again.” 

Brand trust and recognition take time to build-it’s not something you can turn on and off. Cutting corners now might save money short-term, but catching up later can be costly and slow. 

So, what does this mean for fintechs when they’re hiring their next marketing leader?  

Hiring Trends: Strategic and Tactical in One  

The focus is shifting towards CMOs who aren’t just strategists or just executors-they’re both. These leaders need to be just as comfortable diving into conversion metrics as they are crafting compelling stories that resonate with customers. 

As Sophie points out, “Clients are moving away from siloed marketing structures. They want leaders who can bring alignment across commercial, product, and customer functions. It’s about influence, not just execution.” And on top of that, the best marketing heads are those who keep up with the latest tech trends like machine learning and AI, which are transforming how fintechs target, personalise, and measure their campaigns-as Forbes explores here. 

Closing Thoughts  

Fintech marketing is at a turning point. Those who look to cut marketing leadership too risk losing the strategic vision they’ll need to compete long-term. On the other hand, businesses that invest in flexible, commercially minded CMOs will be the ones that truly stand out in a crowded market. Like Forbes says, the focus should remain on having a clear, differentiated brand and consistent storytelling. This is where marketing leaders can really make a difference. 

So, is your fintech marketing team ready to step up and meet these evolving challenges head-on? 

The CMO role isn’t going anywhere, it’s evolving into something bigger, more connected, and even more critical to business success. Fintechs that adapt to this will be the ones driving the next wave of growth, trust, and market share.