The marketing executives who stand out in Brazil in 2025 reveal a clear movement: CMOs grow more in their careers within companies than CFOs and CEOs. Among the professionals highlighted in the Elite InfoMoney 2025four out of 10 (41.7%) are “in-house” (that is, they were promoted internally to the position of CMO), more than in the sample of CFOs (37.7%) and CEOs (21.8%).
At the same time, around 90% of CMOs come from backgrounds and careers essentially linked to marketing, in contrast to the global trend that favors leaders trained in growth, product or data. This set reveals that, in Brazil, marketing leadership remains deeply technical and, at the same time, strongly rooted in the internal context of each organization.
To list of Elite InfoMoney CMOs is prepared based on a methodology that identifies the most recognized works in the country’s main marketing awards. From this initial selection, a jury made up of experts and representatives from InfoMoney chooses the cases with the greatest relevance and impact. The curation also includes the contribution of TM20, an analytical branding and insights consultancy, whose analysis served as the basis for building the list.
The objective is to recognize professionals who, in addition to commanding robust strategies, generate tangible results and promote cultural impact.
“This recognition endorses the strength of the XP brand and the coherence of our marketing strategy, which combines sport, content and experience to strengthen relationships with customers. This entire movement is linked to what guides our business: excellence in service”, says Lisandro Lopez, CMO of XP Inc, who has been with the company for four years and nine months.
“The award confirms that we are evolving in the right direction and motivates us to continue expanding the impact of XP on the financial lives of Brazilians.”
CMO: central piece in business strategy
In Brazilian companies, the role of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) stopped being an advertising supervisor and became a central part of the business strategy. In the opinion of Eduardo Tomiya, founding partner and CEO of TM20, the CMO is the professional responsible for developing strategic marketing planning, ensuring that initiatives reach the target audience and strengthen the brand.
“By concentrating the skills necessary to coordinate and implement strategies from start to finish, the CMO takes care of both the commercial aspects and institutional communication, guaranteeing visibility and credibility for the organization”, comments Tomiya.
According to him, this executive’s work also involves ensuring efficiency and monitoring indicators in real time, obtaining results with minimal waste of resources.
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“Additionally, the CMO must ensure an experience omnichannel consistent: companies that can integrate sales and support channels – physical and digital – and offer a fluid, customer-centric journey at all points of contact have a competitive advantage”, explains the expert.
In this way, Tomiya continues, the CMO “acts as a conductor who orchestrates all points of contact and aligns the brand with corporate values”, transforming marketing actions into tangible and sustainable value.
“For me, competence lies in reconciling short- and long-term strategies: generating sustainable sales and tangible results for the entire company, with brand value as a lasting pillar”, he adds. “To achieve this, the CMO must act as a conductor, ensuring harmony and alignment with all stakeholders.”
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Anticipated movements and value generation
In the view of Renata Gomide, CMO of Grupo Boticário, who has been with the company for around six years, the current marketing challenges involve interpreting what really generates value in a scenario of rapid transformations, volatility, new technologies and changes in behavior.
“We believe in the consistency and discipline of our strategies and we are always connected with our consumers to offer the best for them in terms of products, content and experience”, comments Renata.
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At Diageo for more than nine years, CMO Guilherme Martins also highlights the obstacles imposed by an environment of rapid transformation. “We live in a time of accelerated transitions: new media emerge, behaviors transform, regulations change and cultural values are rewritten”, assesses the executive.
“The big challenge for marketing today is to anticipate these movements without losing what builds value in the present”, adds Martins.
In this context, says Diageo’s CMO, many of the best decisions come from mistakes. Therefore, he guarantees, it is necessary to create a culture of continuous experimentation, testing quickly, measuring impact and adjusting quickly.
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“In a world where we are faced with thousands of stimuli every day, only truly creative ideas can generate conversation, build memory and occupy space in culture”, says Martins.
“That’s what we’re looking for: combining cultural relevance with strategic consistency to create vivid brands that connect with people in different contexts.”
Economic and cultural impact
BYD CMO, Pablo Toledo, celebrates the achievement as a natural consequence of the company’s expansion in the country.
“BYD fell in favor with the Brazilian consumer. The connection was so great that it is possible to say, without fear of making a mistake, that BYD is the first Chinese brand of desire in Brazil”, highlights Toledo, who has been with the company for two years and nine months. “Chinese desire products have been there before. Brand? BYD is the first.”
For him, recognition from InfoMoney reinforces the company’s joint work. “Gaining prominence under the microscope of those who curate for a highly qualified audience, such as InfoMoney readers, is proof of an Olympic performance. And, in the case of BYD, not a solitary one”, says the BYD CMO.
“It is the result of a powerful team effort, which unites Communication, Brand and Marketing strategies, based on much more real content derived from journalism than traditional advertising.”
Guilherme Martins, from Diageo, also highlights the value of recognition. According to him, the award recognizes companies and professionals that move culture consistently in the medium and long term and reinforces the social, economic and cultural impact of marketing.
“Elite InfoMoney has become a reference because it highlights those who really move the needle: those who are building businesses, strengthening brands and creating a tangible impact in the Brazilian market”, he concludes.
