Head of Marketing leaving? Interim, fractional CMO or permanent hire
A CEO at a growing scale-up gets a resignation on a Friday. Her Head of Marketing is leaving in four weeks. The team of eight will keep shipping campaigns, the agency will keep invoicing, and next year's budget is due in six weeks. By Monday she has four options on the table: hire a permanent replacement, bring in an interim CMO, try a fractional one, or promote the strongest person on the team and get them some support.
Each of these is the right answer for some companies and an expensive mistake for others. The mistake most CEOs make is reaching for an option before they have looked at what the next months require. This guide starts with that.
The four options in one view
| | What it is | What it solves | What it does not solve |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Permanent hire | An employed CMO or Head of Marketing | Long-term ownership of the function | The months between deciding to hire and the person starting |
| Interim CMO | A senior leader who holds the seat full-time or close to it, for a fixed term | The months until a permanent leader starts, a fixed deadline, a restructuring that needs authority | Long-term ownership; it is designed to end |
| Fractional CMO | A senior leader for a few days a month, on a rolling basis | Senior direction for a team led by a capable manager, where a full-time CMO is not yet justified | Execution, and situations that need someone in the building most of the week |
| Internal promotion with mentoring | Promoting a high potential from the team, backed by external mentoring | An experience gap in someone capable, and continuity | A team with nobody ready to step up |
Four questions to guide your decision making
Answer these before talking to a recruiter or a provider. The order matters, because each answer narrows the next.
1. Could someone inside the company take the seat?
Look at the team before you call a recruiter. The candidate to look for already makes good decisions in their current role, has the trust of the team an
