CMO Moves Mid-December Update

Hello to the regulars, the newcomers, and the accidental click-throughs - we’re glad you’re here. This community has grown 199% year-to-date, which officially makes us too big for the original Zoom room. Not a bad problem to have!

Between sips of pu-erh and the occasional ramen noodle, we’ve been tracking the latest marketing moves - and yes, we have to skip dessert to keep up.

In the first 2 weeks of December alone, we tracked 23 new CMO appointments around the world: 13 women + 10 men. Tragically, only 3 were promoted from within, while 20 were brought in from outside. We love that the CMO market is dynamic. For us at Taligence, it’s good for business that CMO successions are not well planned. But it’s accepted wisdom that succession is a competitive advantage, not an HR checkbox.

Here’s one bright spot: 13 of the newly appointed CMOs are stepping into the role for the first time, suggesting CEOs are open to fresh leadership. That said, category experience still matters: only 3 hires came from entirely different sectors, which makes cross-industry moves (the “industry travelers”) the exception, not the rule.

Hiring remains strong in the U.S., with 15 new CMOs across 8 states. California led with 5, followed by New York with 3 and Massachusetts with 2. Outside the U.S., Germany and India each added 2, while Australia, Chile, France, and Singapore announced one apiece.

Per usual, Tech is still the busiest sector, with 7 new CMOs across software and network security. Financial services followed with 4, while restaurants, media, sports, and entertainment each added 3. Professional services and hotel/travel saw 2 each, and both consumer goods and government had one.

Below, we cover off some thrilling end-of-year talent plays, from dating apps that want you logged off, to quantum computers in upstate snow, dangerously spicy protein, and bubblegum engineered for TikTok jawlines.

HINGE

While most of the marketing world continues to outsource its ambition by hunting for the "shiny and new" from competitors, Hinge just delivered a masterclass in how to actually build a sweet succession plan.

The December promotion of Tamika Young to Chief Marketing and Communications Officer is the second half of a rare, perfectly executed internal pivot that began when former President and CMO Jackie Jantos, who started her career at Ogilvy, ascended to the CEO seat. It’s a refreshing departure from the generally pathetic state of corporate succession planning we've tracked all year, where internal promotions remained the exception. At the same time, on the other side of the boardroom, nearly 80% of COOs were being groomed from within.

Tamika, who originally joined the "Designed to be Deleted" brand in 2023 as SVP of Global Communications, now takes the reins of the entire marketing engine with insider fluency no poach can fake. Her history with dating apps is personal - she famously shares that her own love story began on an AOL chat, bridging the gap between Hinge’s mission and her own lived reality.

Her pedigree is equally formidable: before Hinge, she spent 5 years at Spotify, culminating as the Global Head of Music and Cultural Impact where she led the cultural juggernaut that is the annual "Wrapped" campaign. She also put in time at Netflix, helping launch their first-ever restaurant concept, and at MTV Networks.

This Hinge hand-off is the latest proof point in a year where the marketing ladder finally punched through the ceiling. We’ve watched Berta de Pablos-Barbier secure the CEO slot at Pandora and Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson take over as CEO of Unilever Prestige, which shows that the industry is finally waking up to the idea that when marketing is upstream of innovation, the next CEO is usually already in the building.

The statistical context here is sobering: according to McKinsey & Co, only 10% of Fortune 250 CEOs have marketing experience, and only 4% have previously held a CMO-like role. Hinge is bucking a trend where boards rarely look to the marketing department to find their next leader.

Tamika is stepping into a role defined by high-stakes momentum and significant strategic friction. Hinge has been a bright spot for Match Group, growing revenue at strong double digits. However, things in dating apps are changing, from pure swiping to "personality marketing," and Tamika must navigate the tension between matching efficiency and a "Designed to be Deleted" philosophy that aims to get people off their phones entirely.

The task ahead is about outcome-based trust. With the founder’s departure creating a potential narrative risk that the "future of AI" is elsewhere, Tamika’s mandate is clear: keep the core story sharp.

We reckon she needs to turn Hinge’s safety pillar into a tangible product story rather than a policy page and package premium offerings around fewer "dead chats" and more real dates. As Hinge expands into Europe, Mexico, and Brazil, the market will be watching to see whether this "insider-led" team can prove that the most powerful growth engine is a brand that keeps its promise.

RPI

Next up in our holiday season top picks is a move that’s hitting very close to home for us here in Saratoga Springs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy has officially named Dana Bodine as its inaugural Chief Marketing Officer. It’s a major moment for the country’s oldest technological research university, signaling that higher education is finally ready to trade academic modesty for high-octane brand leadership.

Dana is a classic "Industry Traveler" with a resume that looks like a highlight reel of the digital era, featuring high-profile leadership stints at Trustpilot, Mastercard, Apple, and The New York Times. She’s trading the high-growth fintech and media world to help RPI bridge a critical gap: while the institute commands world-class depth in engineering and AI, its brand profile hasn’t quite kept pace with its capabilities.

This is a cabinet-level mandate to weaponize RPI’s "story of paradigm-shifting discovery" to accelerate student recruitment at a time when the U.S. is rapidly losing traction as a premier study destination. In 2025, "Destination USA" has experienced a sharp contraction in international student enrollment, primarily driven by stricter federal visa policies, expanded travel bans, and a perceived unwelcoming political environment. Recent data from the Institute of International Education (IIE) indicates that new international student enrollment has plunged by 17% for the 2025-26 academic year, marking the steepest downturn since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The stakes of this decline are staggering. NAFSA: Association of International Educators estimates that Fall 2025 saw a $1.1 billion drop in international student-related revenue, costing the U.S. nearly 23,000 jobs. In response, higher ed is transforming into a high-stakes marketing battleground, with U.S. universities projected to spend $3 billion on advertising in 2025 alone. RPI is clearly playing for keeps, and offered a CMO salary high enough to secure top-tier talent capable of navigating this structural reversal.

On the other hand, the Upstate New York region remains a pioneer. RPI recently became the first university in the world to host an on-campus IBM Quantum System One, a tool valued in the tens of millions. Dana’s job is to ensure that Troy, NY, is recognized as an essential global voice in the disciplines driving the next industrial era - quantum computing, AI, and materials science.

While it took them six months to fill the seat (Taligence would’ve nailed it in two, just saying!), they’ve secured a leader who knows how to navigate scrutiny and build global relevance in an era where 96% of U.S. institutions are citing visa delays and denials as their primary enrollment barrier. Dana is stepping into a "relationship-oriented" culture where she’ll need to build deep trust across the faculty lounge while telling a story that resonates from Troy to Tokyo. As local residents, we’re biased, but we’re thrilled to see RPI doubling down on its strengths. Troy has the food, Saratoga has the base, and now RPI has the marketing muscle to match its tech.

BAZOOKA

This is a juicy one, a "Nostalgia Reimagined" play from Bazooka Brands, which has tapped industry veteran David Dreyer as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Dreyer joins the iconic candy maker - the house that Topps built - at a pivotal moment as it attempts to transition from a 90s childhood relic into a modern cultural force. As an industry heavyweight who spent over 20 years shaping global icons like Apple and Pepsi at revered shops like TBWA\Chiat\Day and TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Dreyer brings a seasoned creative edge to a brand looking for more than just a heritage polish. He most recently served as CMO of Starco Brands, where he helped architect disruptive, "behavior-changing" portfolios including Whipshots - the vodka-infused whipped cream co-founded by Cardi B - and Art of Sport.

Dreyer’s mandate at Bazooka is to lead brand marketing, innovation, and e-commerce across a legacy portfolio that includes Ring Pop, Push Pop, Baby Bottle Pop, Juicy Drop, and the namesake Bazooka Bubble Gum. His hiring signals a maneuver toward "Edible Entertainment" - a point of view where the product itself acts as content through interactive packaging and novelty shapes.

Dreyer famously views his new portfolio as some of the most "iconic and joyful brands in the world" and aims for behavior change that "sparks joy," a philosophy he honed at Starco while scaling products that "didn't exist" before his arrival. He enters a category in flux; while sugary "bubblegum" has shifted toward a "treat" flavor, nearly 80% of kids aged 6–14 remain active chewers, often driven by TikTok flavor challenges or functional trends like "jawline training."

Beyond his corporate track record, Dreyer maintains a unique "night job" as an adjunct professor at USC, where he leverages a "40-person focus group" of students to source ideas and ensure his strategies remain culturally relevant rather than stagnant. He is a vocal critic of vanity metrics, championing the idea that impact isn't just about follower counts but true cultural resonance. This mindset will be critical as he navigates the "impulse buy problem," where the shift to online ordering and self-checkout means legacy brands can no longer rely solely on the grocery store rack to catch the sweet of tooth.

The move follows an ownership change; in October 2023, PE firm Apax Partners acquired Bazooka Candy Brands for approximately $700 million from Michael Eisner’s Tornante Company and Madison Dearborn Partners. With the CMO explicitly owning e-commerce, the brand now has a pretty clean setup to execute nimbly through product "drops," bundles, and collector kits - that traditional retail can't always match. Dreyer is a strategic pick to turn this high-growth momentum into permanent cultural relevance, using his understanding of what moves modern consumers to raise eyebrows and turn heads across the candy aisle.

DAVE’S HOT CHICKEN

Have you tried Dave’s Hot Chicken yet? If you haven’t, you should. But not every day, even if it’s tempting.

Rounding out our December heavy hitters is Brandon Rhoten, who makes a high-profile return to the restaurant sector as the new CMO of Dave’s Hot Chicken. Rhoten is an industry heavyweight best known for building Wendy’s pathfinding digital and social programs, a tenure that contributed to 40 consecutive quarters of growth.

He joins Dave’s after a successful stint driving the advertising platform GroundTruth to growth and profitability, proving that while boards are often risk-averse, they will always clear a path for a "Power Move" when a seasoned leader returns to their home turf with a track record of delivering 4x+ ROI on budgets as large as $450 million.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is the definition of a breakout success, growing from a $900 parking lot pop-up to a fast-casual powerhouse projected to hit $1.2 billion in systemwide sales by year-end 2025. Fresh off a $1 billion acquisition by Roark Capital, the brand's mandate for Rhoten is to ignite its next phase of growth across the U.S. and internationally. It’s a fascinating match: Rhoten helped Wendy’s find its "infamous" digital voice, well known to regarded ape investors of Reddit, and now he takes the reins of a brand that already commands nearly 6 million social followers and celebrity backing from the likes of Drake and Usher.

However, don't expect Rhoten to chase viral trends for the sake of "likes." In a masterclass of accountability delivered just months before taking this role via an eMarketer interview, Rhoten dismissed standard platform engagement as "comfort food" - convenient, but ultimately disconnected from a healthy business. His direction is to define a specific P&L outcome before a single media dollar is spent, insisting that "it’s a business outcome, not a media outcome". He famously puts his reports to the "Finance Stress Test," arguing that if a marketing campaign doesn't show the kind of results that make a CFO celebrate, it is simply "full of garbage".

As Dave’s pushes into its "Act II," Rhoten will oversee all aspects of brand marketing, media, and long-term growth. He steps into a role defined by high-heat theater - exemplified by the Reaper level waiver - but faces significant "platform concentration risk" due to a heavy reliance on TikTok.

His early priorities will likely see him moving beyond the hype to identify core traffic drivers and deepen the brand's digital foundation. With Dave's currently holding the #1 spot on Yelp’s 2025 Most Loved Brands list, Rhoten has the cultural capital and the measurement rigor to ensure this "rock star" of the Roark portfolio turns high-heat hype into a repeatable global habit.

Curious about the other 19 CMOs we didn’t mention today? Our premium subscribers get access to the full list: covering all December announcements so far, plus 460 from earlier this year and 310 more from 2024. Plenty to catch up on, if you're keeping score.

Become a paying subscriber of Premium to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.

A subscription gets you:

• • Access to all the movers in a downloadable format
• • Hand picked curated listings of $200K jobs in marketing
• • No annoying ads