A CEO-level examination of what modern marketing leadership must deliver — and what it takes to earn lasting credibility, expand influence, and evolve the role in an era of growth mandates and C-suite scrutiny. With that foundation in place, we turn to what comes next: the new ways CMOs must think about their future acts now — whether ascending to CEO, joining a board, taking the helm at a company in a completely different industry, moving to the agency side, or forging an entirely entrepreneurial path.