Hire an ecommerce CMO who owns the revenue number
Brand, performance and retention all feed one number. A great ecommerce CMO owns every part of it and knows which lever to pull when growth slows.
About this role
An ecommerce CMO owns growth from the customer side. Brand, acquisition, CRM and retention, and more and more often the customer data behind them. In a growing brand these usually sit in separate teams with separate budgets and separate reports. The CMO pulls them under one revenue target and one plan.
Many brands reach this hire when paid social stops scaling. Acquisition costs climb, returns on spend flatten and the business needs growth that doesn't depend on one platform. That is a CMO problem. For roles one level down, see our guide to hiring a Head of Marketing.
The best ecommerce marketing leaders are already growing someone else's brand. We approach them directly through our executive search practice. Revere Recruitment places marketing leadership across ecommerce and retail brands throughout Australia.
Roles we place
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
Chief Customer Officer
Chief Growth Officer
Marketing Director
Brand & Marketing Director
Head of Marketing & Ecommerce
Key skills to look for
Commercial ownership Reports in revenue, contribution margin, CAC and LTV. Sets the budget by return and can defend every line of it to the board.
Acquisition beyond paid Knows paid social and search well, and builds other engines alongside them. SEO, affiliates, partnerships, PR, creators and wholesale all reduce dependence on one algorithm.
CRM and retention Grows repeat rate and customer value through email, SMS, loyalty and lifecycle programs. Knows a returning customer is the cheapest revenue a brand can buy.
Brand leadership Protects price and positioning. Discounting to hit the month is easy. Building a brand customers pay full price for is the job.
Measurement Understands the limits of platform attribution and uses incrementality testing or marketing mix modelling to find what is really working. Challenges the numbers each channel reports about itself.
Team and agency leadership Builds in-house capability and manages agencies to outcomes. Knows what to keep in-house and what to buy in.
Executive Salary Guide
What does an ecommerce CMO earn in Australia?
CMO packages usually include a short-term incentive tied to revenue or growth targets. In investor-backed brands, equity or an option plan is common.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a CMO and a Head of Marketing? A Head of Marketing usually leads the marketing team and runs the plan. A CMO sits on the executive team, owns the full customer budget and is accountable for revenue growth, often including CRM, customer experience and data. In smaller brands the titles overlap. Scope matters more than the title.
Should our CMO come from a performance or a brand background? You need both, and the lean depends on your stage. A brand that grew on paid social usually needs someone who can build brand and retention. A brand-led business with a weak acquisition engine needs real performance depth. Brief the search around the gap.
Does a CMO need ecommerce experience? Strongly preferred. Ecommerce marketing is measured daily and tied directly to sales. Candidates from traditional brand roles can underestimate how rigorous that is and take longer to settle. We'll tell you where a candidate's background fits and where it doesn't.
Can a CMO search stay confidential? Yes. Much of our executive recruitment work happens before the wider team, or the incumbent, knows a search is under way. We approach candidates directly and never advertise the role.
Ready to find your CMO?
Tell us about the role and we'll come back to you within one business day.