Women CMOs in Fintech Report:How AI Is Changing the Work and Raising the Value of Experience
The Fletcher Group’s fifth annual study of marketing and PR leaders across fintech, payments and banking.
Introduction
The Fifth Year: Marketing Leaders Are the Center.
Five years ago, The Fletcher Group set out to answer a question the industry wasn’t confronting: who are the women leading marketing at fintech’s most ambitious companies, and what can we learn from how they work?
Year after year, the role these leaders play has become broader and more central to the business. They are increasingly involved in revenue, technology decisions, and company strategy, while still owning the work traditionally associated with marketing.
This year’s report captures how firmly AI has moved into marketing operations. 100% of the CMOs we interviewed are using AI. What’s more revealing is how they’re using it, where they’re drawing the line, and how those choices are changing the CMO’s role in the C-suite.
We spoke with marketing leaders across payments, banking, lending, insurance, and financial infrastructure. What they share is a clear-eyed view of where marketing is headed, and a willingness to lead the way.
use AI in marketing operations
report directly to the CEO
expect a budget reduction
The CMO Is Now a Business Leader Who Happens to Run Marketing.
Last year, 91% of respondents told us their scope had grown. The expansion hasn’t slowed: 88% report continued growth over the past 12 months, with more than a third describing the shift as significant.
While nearly all CMOs retain ownership of core marketing (94%) and PR/communications (94%), their portfolios now stretch into territory that would have belonged exclusively to a COO or CRO five years ago.
say their role expanded in the past 12 months
say it expanded significantly
Where CMOs Now Have Direct Influence.
now lead their company’s AI strategy
Half of fintech CMOs now lead their company’s AI strategy — a business function that did not exist in our data two years ago. That puts many marketing leaders directly into decisions about how AI is used across the business, especially as it changes how customers discover and evaluate companies.
of CMOs now report directly to the CEO
Several leaders predicted that the CMO and CRO roles will converge within the next two to three years into a single go-to-market leader. Marketing owns demand generation, pipeline attribution, and customer engagement; sales owns close rates and expansion. Integration follows.
“AI’s ability to synthesize data has shattered the boundaries between marketing and sales, transforming siloed CMO and CRO roles into one cohesive GTM lead enabling a single, continuous revenue engine.”
AI Is Embedded in Marketing Operations. Humans Do the Operating.
The experimentation phase is over. Every CMO we interviewed uses AI for research and data analysis. 94% apply it to content creation and search optimization. 88% have moved beyond ad hoc use and built structured AI workflows into daily operations.
How marketers are using AI
research & data analysis
content & search optimization
structured AI workflows
AI Maturity Across Fintech Marketing Teams.
The shift from 2024 to 2026 is stark. Two years ago, most CMOs were testing AI for content brainstorming with no formal process. The use cases have moved well beyond drafting copy: audience research, competitive intelligence, campaign analysis, and sales support all now run through AI tools.
Where Humans Stay in Control
of CMOs will not allow AI to lead at least one high-stakes category of marketing
These leaders recognize that regulated communications carry legal consequences, crisis response requires institutional judgment, and brand positioning depends on strategic intuition a model cannot replicate. As AI-generated content floods every channel, the quality of human judgment becomes the differentiator.
“There is work that cannot be handed off. It requires strategic thinking, judgment, relationships, trust, intuition, and decision-making that can only be done by people who have been in these roles for decades.”
The Race for AI Discoverability.
Every CMO we spoke with discussed how LLM-powered search is reshaping brand discovery. Prospects who research through AI tools enter sales conversations later in the cycle but better informed, often with a short list of vendors already assembled. The brand that doesn’t show up in those AI-generated results has lost the deal before it begins.
are actively investing in AEO/GEO now
plan to increase GEO investment heading into 2027
What CMOs Are Doing About It.
Measurement is the open problem. Several CMOs compared AEO tracking to the early days of SEO, when everyone knew it mattered but nobody agreed on how to measure it. Teams are cobbling together signals from multiple platforms to approximate their AI search footprint.
“The days of churning content out to get ranking are over. A lot of the ranking is going to come from earned media. I’ve spent years trying to justify the PR spend, and now it’s going to be very directly attributable.”
AI Has Changed How the C-Suite Sees Marketing. The Verdict Is Complicated.
The Elevation
When brand discoverability depends on how AI models index and surface a company, marketing moves from a support function to a revenue-critical one. CEOs who once viewed marketing as a cost center now see it as the team that controls whether their company appears in AI-driven research — a shift that hands CMOs real leverage.
The Pressure
Several CMOs said executives increasingly assume AI should let marketing move faster or accomplish more without adding resources. The tension between “marketing is more important” and “AI should make marketing cheaper” plays out in budget, headcount, and board conversations simultaneously.
Nearly Unanimous
“It’s complicated.”
Every CMO we asked said AI has changed how their CEO and CFO view marketing — and every answer came with a qualifier.
demonstrate revenue impact effectively or are making strong progress
Revenue Attribution: Better, but Still Unfinished
Proving marketing’s contribution to revenue remains the single most important credibility exercise for CMOs. 88% say they are doing this effectively or making meaningful progress — up from last year’s more hesitant results. More teams are moving from last-touch attribution to multi-touch models, tracking qualified pipeline and influenced opportunities rather than raw lead volume.
Long B2B sales cycles, offline relationship-building and multi-stakeholder buying committees still complicate attribution. Even so, CMOs who frame marketing in the language of revenue, pipeline velocity and acquisition efficiency are the ones whose budgets grow.
“There isn’t a single deal in our pipeline that has not been influenced by marketing. Even if the lead was generated through a referral or salesperson, marketing is integral to how we sell through every deal stage.”
Teams Are Being Redesigned, Not Downsized.
The narrative that AI will shrink marketing teams doesn’t hold up in this data. More than half of CMOs plan to add headcount. Half are simultaneously redesigning roles to incorporate AI fluency, data analysis, and cross-functional skills.
plan to add headcount
are consolidating or redesigning existing roles
expect headcount reductions
The Job Descriptions Are Changing.
New hybrid roles
AI literacy has become a baseline expectation. Several CMOs described incorporating AI proficiency into interview processes, from practical assignments to real-time problem-solving with AI tools. Curiosity and willingness to experiment rank alongside domain expertise in hiring criteria.
How teams are learning
Training remains largely internal and peer-driven: knowledge sharing, team-led experimentation, and dedicated AI task forces. One organization runs a company-wide AI hackathon spanning marketing, product, customer success, and revenue teams. Others supplement with external certifications, LinkedIn Learning, and specialized consultants.
The agency relationship is being redefined.
The days of broad-scope retainers without clear attribution are ending.
Content versioning, basic analytics, production tasks
AEO strategy, earned media, brand systems, industry-specific PR
“We’re looking for AI competency, along with more specialized expertise in areas like podcasting and video production.”
Budgets Are Rising. Where the Money Goes May Surprise You.
For the second consecutive year, no CMO expects a budget cut. Three-quarters anticipate an increase, driven by growth targets, AI-related investment, and the cost of competing for attention in new discovery channels.
expect their budget to increase in 2027
anticipate a reduction, for the second year running
Where the Money Moves.
↑ Investing More
- AI tools & infrastructure
- GEO / LLM optimization
- Analytics & measurement
- Brand-building
- Curated in-person events
↓ Cutting Back
- Paid search / SEM & PPC
- Display & banner advertising
- Expensive expo booths
Money is moving from channels where AI has eroded returns toward channels where AI creates new opportunities. Several leaders are explicitly shifting budget back toward brand, because AI-generated content has flooded performance channels and made differentiation harder. In-person events keep their budget too, but the strategy has sharpened — a pivot away from expo booths toward curated formats: executive roundtables, regional summits, and owned customer events.
“Rather than increasing spend broadly, we’re making targeted investments that position marketing as a measurable driver of business growth.”
Trust, Brand, and the Human Edge.
AI has made every brand capable of producing polished content at scale. That same abundance has made trust the scarcest resource in fintech marketing.
CMOs described a market in which generic, AI-generated messaging has diluted the meaning of words like “smarter,” “intelligent,” and “innovative.” When everyone can say the same thing with the same polish, the brands that win are the ones whose actions, customer experience, and reputation back up their claims over time.
As AI-generated content floods every channel, brand authenticity and demonstrated trustworthiness have become the competitive moat.
The CMOs building that moat are investing in human judgment and long-term credibility over short-term content volume. They’re using AI in ways that strengthen customer confidence rather than replace human accountability.
What Builds Trust Now.
Customer Evidence
Reviews, case studies, and verifiable outcomes carry weight precisely because they cannot be fabricated at scale.
Third-Party Validation
Earned media, analyst recognition, and visible executive expertise reinforce credibility that paid channels cannot deliver.
Transparency
Customers want clarity on how products work, how their data is protected, and where AI plays a role.
“We’re all getting inundated with AI-generated content bloat. Everything is sounding and looking so generic, and we’re in an industry where awareness and brand counts for a lot. That’s where trust is built.”
In Their Own Words
What CMOs Are Saying.
“Don’t become known as someone who just executes great marketing. Become known as the person who helps the business make better decisions. Be curious about this industry, not just marketing.”
“It’s never been more important to have a very authentic voice and presence on everything we do. To be doing things properly and to be seen to be doing things properly in a genuine, authentic way is absolutely crucial.”
“Clients are using AI tools to check whether they should work with you or stay with you. Your digital presence and credibility have never been more important for both retention and growth.”
“Trust is the entire product when you’re marketing in money movement and money management. Entrusting your money to someone is very different than simply buying a pair of jeans.”
“Marketing is increasingly shaping business strategy. For years, we had to piece together data to make the case for our work. Now we can ask a better question: what did marketing actually cause to happen?”
“Know your value, know your power. And don’t wait for permission.”
“I’ve been in marketing for almost three decades. AI can make you more efficient, but it cannot replace the strategic thinking, judgment, and relationships that this work requires.”
“Good writing skills will not be replaced by AI. The ability to craft a narrative, to tell a story that connects with an audience is still a distinctly human skill that depends on judgment and lived experience.”
“Our job is to build trust and conviction – the drivers of revenue growth. The real value is applying AI strategically, with intention and measurable impact, not noise at scale.”
“Backed by advanced AI insights, the GTM lead has a clear view of what success looks like, giving them the exact edge needed to align product fitment, accelerate market growth, and earn customer trust.”
“Banks and payment platforms are not signing multi-year contracts with robots yet. They want to know that the people behind the tech are experienced, understand the regulatory landscape and will answer the phone when they call.”
“AI has allowed us to operate like a much larger marketing team. Rather than increasing output for the sake of output, we’ve increased the amount of strategic work we can support across the organization.”
“Having quick, summarized access to industry intelligence is strengthening our differentiation and elevating our positioning.”
“Own your seat and have confidence in your team’s worth. Connect your marketing efforts to the most important levers of the business, and tell that story relentlessly.”
“We’re actively trying to harness AI to create templates everyone can use, while making sure what we produce stays consistent with the brand.”
“The skills we’re developing now include a growth mindset and willingness to try new things, along with change management and AI experience.”
Conclusion
This Is Marketing’s Moment. These Women Are Leading It.
Five years of this report have revealed a consistent pattern: the role of the fintech CMO expands every year, the expectations grow steeper, and the women in these seats keep proving they belong at the center of the business and the industry.
This year, that pattern accelerated. AI forced every function to adapt, but marketing had to adapt first, because AI’s most visible impact on business — brand discoverability, customer engagement, content quality — falls squarely in the CMO’s domain. These leaders did not wait for direction. They built the AI playbooks, set the guardrails, trained the teams, and earned a seat at the strategy table by demonstrating that marketing drives revenue.
The CMO role now touches every part of the business: revenue, product, customer experience, corporate strategy, and technology. It demands fluency in AI, empathy for the customer, rigor with data, and the political skill to translate marketing value into the language of the C-suite.
In an era when AI can replicate the surface of marketing in seconds, the strategic depth these leaders bring is the thing that cannot be automated.
Fintech Marketing in One Word
With Thanks To
The Leaders Who Shaped This Report.
- Laila BeaneCo-Founder, Sol Reo LLC
- Karen BudellCMO, Conquest
- Kaylee GanusChief Marketing Officer, United Federal Credit Union
- Danielle GotkisCMO, Nium
- Dana KarzanCMO, VyStar Credit Union
- Mary Anne KeeganCEO and CMO, Etch Advisors
- Tami MatousekDirector of Brand & Marketing, Core Bank
- Brandi MeredithSVP of Marketing, CSI | Qolo
- Helen OwenVP of Marketing, BR-DGE
- Vanita PandeyCMO, Microblink
- Mary Grace RoskeHead of Marketing and Communications, CD Valet
- Shachar ScottCMO, Sunbit
- Sam ShragerCMO, BCB Group
- Jane TagueCMO, CSI
- Michelle WinklesPartner and CMO, Mission Wealth Management
- Elizabeth WorrellSVP Marketing, Dash Solutions
About The Fletcher Group
At The Fletcher Group, we’re just as passionate about everyone knowing your name as you are. Unlike most PR and content firms claiming knowledge of the payments and fintech space, we have 20 years of experience driving measurable results using a mix of sharp positioning, storytelling content, earned media, and marketing.
Our network and expertise extend to every corner of the industry, which enables our team to get you the coverage and partnership opportunities you deserve. It’s who we are, and our only focus.
Visit fletchergroupllc.com