MARC
THE SHORT ANSWER
In week one, protect what’s working. Lock down account access, list everything in flight and name one person who makes marketing calls until the seat is filled. Then pick how to cover it. A CMO search takes about four months on average, so many companies bring in an interim CMO to keep things moving and help hire the next leader.
It happens to good companies all the time. A CMO gets recruited away, retires or decides it’s time. The average CMO at an S&P 500 company stays about 4.1 years (Spencer Stuart, 2026). Lead long enough and you’ll get this call. Here’s how I’d handle the first few weeks, and how an interim CMO fits in.
Days 1 and 2: get control of what’s live
Before anything else, find out what’s running and who holds the keys. Most companies skip this step, and it’s the one that bites later.
- Account access. Make sure the company, not one person, has admin rights to the website, domain, ad accounts, CRM, email platform, social pages and analytics.
- What’s in flight. List every live campaign, launch date, trade show, contract and agency retainer, with the dates and dollars attached.
- Budget commitments. Know what’s already spent, what’s promised and what’s still open this quarter.
- The numbers. Pull the last 90 days of leads, pipeline and cost per lead so you have a baseline.
Days 3 to 5: talk to the people who keep it running
- Your marketing team. Tell them what’s happening and who they go to now. Good people get nervous when a leader leaves, so ask who else might be at risk.
- Your sales leader. Ask what they need from marketing over the next 90 days, and what isn’t working today.
- Your agencies. Tell them who signs off now and ask for a status on everything they’re running. No new big projects until someone owns them.
Then name one person who makes marketing decisions until the seat is filled. It can be you, a strong director or an interim leader. It can’t be nobody.
Weeks 2 to 4: decide how to cover the seat
You have four real options. Each one fits a different situation.
| Option | Fits when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Promote from within | You have a strong director who’s ready to step up | Doing two jobs at once, with no one to coach them |
| Bring in an interim CMO | The seat is empty and something can’t wait | Pick someone who plans to hand off, not hang on |
| Bring in a fractional CMO | You don’t need a full-time leader yet | It’s part time, so the team needs a strong day-to-day lead |
| Leave it empty while you search | Marketing is small and very steady | Four months of drift adds up fast |
For most companies with a real growth goal, the first two are the strongest. Many do both: an interim leader steadies things and coaches the internal candidate. If you’re weighing interim against fractional, read interim vs. fractional CMO.
Months 2 to 4: run the search the right way
One CMO search firm puts the average time to hire a CMO at about 3.8 months (Talentfoot, 2025). Use that time well.
- Write down the problem first. What does the next CMO need to fix in year one? That tells you who to hire. My guide on how to hire a CMO walks through it.
- Score candidates the same way. A weighted CMO hiring scorecard keeps the loudest interview from winning.
- Plan the handoff. Your new CMO should walk in to a written plan, clean dashboards and a team that knows its priorities.
Mistakes that make the gap cost more
- Freezing all marketing spend. Pipeline dries up quietly, and you feel it a quarter later.
- Letting agencies run with no one watching. Money keeps going out, and no one asks what it’s buying.
- Losing account access. If the only admin login walks out the door, it can take months to get it back.
- Rushing the hire. A fast wrong hire costs more than a slow right one.
When I’ve stepped into situations like this, the first wins usually come from fixing what’s leaking. At one 14-office group, fixing how calls were handled cut missed calls 91%. See more results.
Questions leaders ask
Should I tell customers our CMO left?
Only the ones who worked with them closely. For everyone else, keep it simple: introduce who they work with now and keep things running.
How fast can an interim CMO start?
Often within days. The first week goes to the same steps on this page: account access, what’s in flight and the team.
Can my head of marketing just cover it?
Sometimes. If they’re strong and the plan is stable, it can work. Give them clear authority and a coach, because doing two jobs at once is how good people burn out.
How long does it take to hire a new CMO?
About 3.8 months on average, according to one CMO search firm (Talentfoot, 2025). Hard-to-fill roles take longer.
What should the new CMO find when they start?
A written plan and budget, the last 90 days of numbers, clean account access and a team that knows its priorities. That’s what a good interim leader hands off.
The bottom line
When your CMO quits, take control of what’s live in week one, name one decision-maker and choose how to cover the seat within the month. Then run a search built around the problem you need solved. If you want help in the chair while that happens, let’s talk this week.
Sources
- Spencer Stuart, CMO Tenure 2026: Snapshot of an Expanding Role for Marketing Leaders, 2026.
- Talentfoot, How Long Does It Take to Hire a CMO? CMO Time-to-Fill and Tenure Trends, 2025.
Some figures come from firms that sell executive search. I use them as a guide, not gospel.