With 1,500+ alumni across the globe, it’s become the #1 Marketing Leadership Masterclass. The payoff? More influence, more career success, and way more fun.

The Masterclass from the world's largest-ever studies on marketers' success.

We believe that if more marketers and agency leaders cut through, firms and customers will benefit. Unfortunately, doing marketing isn't the same as leading marketing. In the world's largest-ever study on marketers' success, we have proven that the most successful customer leaders master the art (and science) of marketing leadership. To pass on the insights for success as a marketer, I have created the Marketing Leadership Masterclass. The latest version with my friend and colleague Syl Saller (Diageo's former global CMO) is now the global #1 Marketing Leadership Masterclass. In a 12-week sprint, marketers lead upwards, help their bosses make better decisions, and accelerate their career. Here's more:

Learn to lead upwards!

Participants master what other classes won't teach. In just 12 bite-sized modules, our participants learn how to win over stakeholders, mobilize colleagues & clients, and lead empowered teams. It's the complete marketing leadership class by world-leading experts Thomas Barta & Syl Saller.

Study with peers

Participants come together 24/7 with fellow students from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacific. On our unique discussion platform, people solve challenges and help others. Everybody is part of a real-time peer group. In this class, nobody is ever alone!

10 minutes daily, 12 weeks

Hosted by the Marketing Leadership Institute, we've built this 12-week sprint from the ground up for busy people. All lectures are short and on demand. People go at their own pace. In this class, nobody will fall behind. Upon completion, we'll issue a Certificate in Marketing Leadership!

A week on the Marketing Leadership Masterclass.

What’s it going to be like?

• When you first log on, you'll immediately meet your peers from around the globe, client-side, agency-side—from a large variety of industries. Start to network and make friends.
• Every week, we'll message you with new bite-sized lectures during our fun, 12-week sprint. Each lecture includes videos and readings. As everything is online 24/7, you can take the class at your own pace!
• For each lecture, we'll provide you questions for your workbook so you can apply the learnings right away.
• Once you have watched a lecture, join the discussion with your peers, ask questions, and solve problems together!
• Almost every week, we'll run a live session with Thomas, Syl, or top-ranking guest mentors. Join live or watch the recordings.
• Facing difficult business issues? Need help with the class? Turn to one of our Mentors or join their weekly Coaching Circles to get real, personal support.
• Throughout the Marketing Leadership Masterclass, we'll give you 4 optional Challenges, asking you to apply what you have learned.
• Once you have completed the class, you'll receive your Certificate in Marketing Leadership. Go for merit or even distinction!
• In just 12 weeks, become the influential marketer you always wanted to be!

In just 12 weeks, become the influential marketer you always wanted to be!

Learning as a debate

We've designed one of the world's most interactive learning platforms to help participants learn from peers.

Step 1: watch. We'll release fresh lectures every couple of days, with short videos and readings.

Step 2: discuss. For each lecture, we have formulated a set of powerful questions—centered around your work. People join the community debate, share ideas, ask questions, support each other—24/7.

Step 3: apply. With the help of questions and participants, build their workbook, build their plan. Make change happen—right the next day.

You'll learn a lot from the videos. But the real magic happens when you team up and solve problems together with peers.

What participants say about the Marketing Leadership Masterclass

Here are our current scores—directly from the Marketing Leadership Institute survey:

Taking the next steps

Hosted by the Marketing Leadership Institute, the Marketing Leadership Masterclass currently runs twice a year. Besides individual seats, we offer team packages for leaders who want to up-skill their team, including dedicated mentors and group sessions. Book your seat here or message us if you consider up-skilling your team.

Why bother applying for the CMO Fellowship?

• A comprehensive knowledge and leadership curriculum delivered by McKinsey & Company,  The Marketing Academy, and myself.
• C-suite-level executive coaching with individual one-to-one sessions from a professional executive coach provided by Wisdom 8.
• Personal mentoring from high-profile board chairs, CEOs, and influencers.
• Peer learning with elite global business leaders.
• 12 months of access for you and your team to The Marketing Academy Global Virtual Campus—18 masterclasses and lectures, delivered online.

Want in? Here’s what it takes

• Your sights are set on CEO or other C-suite positions (looking to leave the C-suite for a non-executive portfolio, this program isn’t for you).
• You’re at the top—leading marketing, growth, or commercial teams at a major marketing-first company. Titles like CMO, Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Growth Officer, or something similar.
• You report to the president, CEO, or EVP.
• You’ve led beyond marketing.
• You’ve built a strong reputation in the industry.
• You’re leading large teams and controlling serious budgets with full P&L responsibility.
• You’ve got 15+ years in leadership—most of it in marketing and commercial.
• You’re staying in your role throughout the program.
• You must be available to attend all three residentials, which will take place APAC, Europe, or North America. Around 12 days in total.

We conducted the largest ever global study of marketing leadership, analyzing detailed original data on over 1,200 marketing leaders and more than 67,000 existing 360-degree assessments of both marketing and non-marketing business leaders. The research revealed 12 essential traits that can make or break marketers’ business impact and career success. The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader is the first leadership book for marketers based on anything like this level of research evidence. It tells you how to:

• MOBILIZE YOUR BOSS: Make an impact at the highest level and align marketing with the company’s priorities.
• MOBILIZE YOUR COLLEAGUES: Inspire and support your non-marketing colleagues to meet customers’ needs better than the competition.
• MOBILIZE YOUR TEAM: Build and hone a winning marketing team. Become a leader of leaders.
• MOBILIZE YOURSELF: Focus on goals that will benefit your customers, company, and long-term career.

In The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader, you will read firsthand accounts of marketing successes from around the world—and gain psychological insights that will surprise you into the leaders who drove the key decisions. You will learn how to persuade your colleagues, motivate your team, and strengthen your leadership skills. Warning: this isn’t a marketing book. It’s a leadership book for marketers, using the latest research on what works—and what does not work—in the digital age of marketing. By zeroing in on the value creation zone (“V-Zone”)—the all-important overlap between your company’s and customers’ needs—you’ll be able to help your business to win in the market and achieve your career goals. Remember: doing marketing isn’t the same as leading marketing. With The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader, you can lead the way with a new vision that is powerful, transformative, and ultimately life-changing. Read more >

Get your copy here >

Praise for the 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader

Here's what people say about the book:

• “Everything you need to know to be a superior marketing leader!” – Marshall Goldsmith, The World’s Thinkers50 #1 Leadership Thinker
• “A must-read for every present and future CMO who cares about making a difference.” – Seth Godin, Author of All Marketers Are Liars
• “The essential leadership playbook for the CMO of the future.” – Jim Stengel, former Global Marketing Officer, Procter & Gamble
• “A persuasive perspective on the opportunities open to marketers to lead for change.” – Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever
• “A masterful dissection of what it really takes to lead marketing.” –Syl Saller, Global CMO, Diageo
• “An essential read for any marketing professional looking to take the next step in his or her career.” – Dominic Barton, global managing director, McKinsey & Company
• “Research-based, but brought to life by human beings.” – Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and CEO, WPP
• “Stuffed full of sound analysis, crucial career advice, and fascinating case studies—this is an effortless must-read for the ambitious marketer.” – Gavin Patterson, CEO, BT
• “I only wish I had been able to read it a good few years ago!” – Amanda Mackenzie, global CMO, Aviva
• “This might just become the bible for marketing leaders.” – Sherilyn Shackell, founder & CEO of The Marketing Academy
• “Here is a must-read book for marketers as leaders.” – Richard Hytner, founder, beta baboon, former DY Chairman, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide
• “This book gets under the skin of what makes a great marketing leader.” – Peter Markey, CMO, Post Office

The book review

Get your copy here >

From the world's largest ever study on marketers' success, we have created this little marketing leadership test. If you honestly answer the following questions, you'll get a quick read on your marketing leadership strengths. We hope you'll find this assessment enlightening. (Japanese 🇯🇵 version is here)

What you will learn:

• Which marketing leadership skills you lean on most. It’s situational, so your score might change when your role or tasks shift.
• Which leadership skills you can sharpen, if you think they’ll help.
• The key leadership skills that truly matter.
• Where to go to build these skills.

About the marketing leadership test

Leading Marketing isn’t the same as doing Marketing. In the world's largest ever study on marketers' success (The Marketers’ DNA), we discovered that Leading marketing is a comprehensive task. The world’s most successful marketers know how to mobilize bosses, peers, teams, and themselves. Our team surveyed 1,232 senior executives from over 80 countries. With the assistance of INSEAD Business School, we analyzed data from one of the world's most comprehensive databases. In total, our study involved over 68,000 executive assessments (all details are in our book, The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader). The assessment uses statements from our research that best describe the four important marketing leadership dimensions. While it's not a perfect evaluation, it will provide valuable insight into your strengths.

Become a CMO: Building a rapid understanding of key customer and marketing concepts. Help you master the steep learning curve of a new profession—CMO coaching for senior non-marketing leaders who are who are looking to transition into a CMO (or similar) role.

Onboarding into a new C-suite role: Help you get the first 100 days right—with maximum impact.

Significantly improving team performance: Implementing the Market Impact Review, my alignment and performance management process, developed with several leading CMOs—using the power of collaboration to rapidly improve performance.

Thomas Barta, CMO Coaching Credentials:

• Diploma and full accreditation, Executive Coaching, Hult Business School
• Master's Degree in Clinical Organizational Psychology, INSEAD
• Global Dean, Marketing Academy / McKinsey CMO Fellowship