News, research and expert insight from The Marketing Directors
The Marketing Directors provides practical marketing leadership, research and insight for businesses and their leaders. Here you can find our latest press releases, research and background information, with downloadable PDFs for editorial use.
Latest Press Releases
The Marketing Director’s Handbook: Leading Marketing in a Digital and AI World
29 September 2026
AI can generate. AI can analyse. AI can automate. But the Marketing Director still has to decide.
The latest edition of The Marketing Director’s Handbook examines how marketing leadership is changing as artificial intelligence, digital platforms, data and automation transform the way organisations market themselves.
Volume 3: Leading Marketing in a Digital and AI World focuses on the decisions and leadership responsibilities that remain with the Marketing Director: understanding customers, building brands, judging creativity, challenging AI, managing risk and influencing colleagues across the organisation.
The new volume can be bought separately or alongside Volume 1 in the new Definitive Digital & AI Leadership Edition, bringing together the enduring principles of marketing strategy and leadership with the latest thinking on digital marketing and AI.
[DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE – PDF]
The Changing Influence of Marketing in Britain’s FTSE 100
18 September 2026
New research finds marketing expertise remains widespread in Britain’s biggest companies – but the traditional Board Marketing Director has disappeared
Research by The Marketing Directors examining the FTSE 100 finds that 70% of companies have meaningful marketing, customer or brand expertise at Board or senior-management level.
The research finds no conventional Marketing Director on the main PLC Board, while marketing expertise appears in other forms: 45% of FTSE 100 Boards have substantial marketing expertise beyond the CEO, 11% have a CEO with substantial marketing or customer expertise, and 38% have additional substantial marketing expertise within senior management teams.
The research updates a much-cited 2007 study by Professor Malcolm McDonald, which found 14 FTSE 100 companies with Marketing Directors on their Boards. The new research asks a broader question: where does marketing expertise now sit within Britain’s largest companies, and how does it influence corporate decision-making?
[DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE – PDF]
[DOWNLOAD FULL FTSE 100 RESEARCH – PDF]
[DOWNLOAD RESEARCH METHODOLOGY & EVIDENCE – PDF]
EDITOR’S NOTES
About The Marketing Directors
The Marketing Directors is a marketing consultancy providing experienced marketing leadership and strategic marketing advice to organisations across a range of sectors. It specialises in building products, services and businesses as profitable, enduring and valuable brands. Its approach combines research, creativity, marketing expertise and practical commercial experience.
The company was founded in 2005 and developed its approach through the experience of Marketing Directors working with aspiring businesses, brands and organisations throughout the world.
About The Marketing Director’s Handbook
The Marketing Director’s Handbook is a unique and practical guide to the role of the Marketing Director and CMO. Originally published in 2008, it is a series of three books covering marketing strategy, leadership, digital marketing and, in the latest edition, artificial intelligence. Volume 1 ISBN 9780955 886003 RRP £49.99 Hardback ISBN 9780955 886010 RRP £44.99 EPub
Volume 3, Leading Marketing in a Digital and AI World, examines how technology is changing marketing while emphasising the continuing importance of judgement, customer understanding, brands, commercial thinking and leadership. ISBN 9780955 886058 RRP £19.99
The new combined Volumes 1 & 3 edition brings together the foundational marketing leadership material with the latest digital and AI thinking. ISBN 9780955 886065 RRP £59.99
About the FTSE 100 research
The 2026 research examines the leadership position of marketing, customer and brand expertise across Britain’s FTSE 100 companies. It deliberately looks beyond job titles to identify where meaningful marketing expertise sits within Boards and senior management.
The research updates and extends earlier work by Professor Malcolm McDonald on Marketing Directors on FTSE company Boards. Full results, definitions, methodology and supporting evidence are available to download from this site.
About the authors
Guy Tomlinson is Chief Marketer at The Marketing Directors and Chief Researcher at The Market Researchers. He has worked in brand management, business planning, marketing leadership and consultancy, including senior marketing roles covering multiple countries. He is co-author of The Marketing Director’s Handbook Volumes 1, 2 and 3.
Tim Arnold is co-author of The Marketing Director’s Handbook and has extensive experience in marketing leadership and consultancy.
For media enquiries
For interviews, expert comment, additional information, research clarification or images, please contact:
The Marketing Directors
Guy Tomlinson
E: themd@themarketingdirectors.co.uk
T: 01628 473699
MEDIA RESOURCES
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