MARKETER OF THE FUTURE SURVEY | 2025

Leadership priorities and capability shifts shaping the future of marketing

Marketing leadership across the Middle East is entering a new phase of strategic influence. As organisations navigate economic uncertainty, technological acceleration, and shifting customer expectations, marketing functions are expanding their remit beyond communications to play a more central role in driving business growth and enterprise transformation.

This regional survey captures how senior marketing leaders are redefining priorities, strengthening internal capabilities, and preparing their organisations for long-term growth. The findings offer a practical perspective on how marketing functions are evolving in response to rapid change across the regional business landscape.

Key leadership and capability shifts:

  • Marketing leaders are showing stronger confidence in their business impact.
  • Organisations are under increasing pressure to prove measurable performance.
  • Data-driven decision-making is becoming a core strategic capability.
  • Sustainability is becoming central to long-term growth strategies.
  • Marketing teams are playing a larger role in innovation and experience design.
  • Continuous skills development is becoming essential for competitiveness.
  • Collaboration with executive leadership is growing more strategic.

Together, these insights provide a clearer view of how marketing leadership is evolving in the Middle East and what organisations must prioritise to remain competitive in the years ahead.

Marketer of the Future Middle East marketing leadership survey cover

EXPLORE MORE INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Cover of the ABG CMO Forum First Edition report titled “Marketing Leadership Under Pressure” with dark navy background and bold white and yellow typography.
ABG MARKETING LEADERSHIP UNDER PRESSURE | 2026
A CMO Perspective from the ABG Forum
Senior marketing leaders across the Middle East and GCC came together at ABG’s first CMO Forum to discuss the growing pressure on brands to deliver measurable growth while protecting long-term brand equity. The report captures key priorities, challenges, and strategic shifts shaping the future of marketing leadership.
ABG CMO FORUM OPENING ADDRESS | 2026
Eleni Kitra, ABG CEO & Executive Director
The mandate hasn’t changed. The pressure around delivery has. Drawing on ABG Pulse Survey insights, this session outlines how marketing leaders are shifting from long-term planning to real-time decision-making, balancing growth, brand, and accountability in a more volatile environment. A clear view of how the CMO role is evolving, and what it now takes to lead effectively.
ABG CMO FORUM CEO-CMO ALIGNMENT | 2026
Lizzy Johnson, Senior Advisor, EMIR
Growth is becoming harder to deliver and sustain. Drawing on ABG Pulse Survey data and regional dynamics, this session explores how shifting demand, rising costs, and performance pressure are reshaping the marketing operating model. It highlights the need for stronger CEO–CMO alignment focused on growth quality, capital efficiency, faster decision-making, and the investment shifts required to drive more sustainable, profitable growth.
CMO Forum Middle East marketing leadership transformation April 2026
ABG CMO FORUM CHAIRPERSON ADDRESS | 2026
Olfa Messaoudi, CDMO, L’Oréal Middle East & ABG Vice Chair
What got us here will not get us where we need to go next. This session positions the modern CMO at the center of growth and transformation, navigating accelerating change across technology, media, and consumer behavior. It reinforces the shift from brand leadership to business leadership, and the need for collective intelligence to drive faster, more effective decisions.
ABG CMO FORUM CONSUMER INSIGHTS | 2026
Ipsos I ABG Insights Partner
Consumer behavior is shifting toward control, value, and certainty. Based on Ipsos research in the UAE, this session unpacks how uncertainty is reshaping spending, brand choice, and digital engagement. It highlights the growing role of trust, transparency, and relevance, and what brands must do to compete in an environment where value perception and emotional context drive decisions.