CMO Awards 2026: Your shortlist

The nominations are in, and wow, you didn't hold back.

We received an incredible range of nominations from across the CMO Alliance community this year. Picking a shortlist was no easy job, but we got there.

Below, you'll find the full shortlist for the CMO Awards 2026, category by category. These are the people and teams setting the standard in marketing leadership right now.

CMO of the Year

These shortlisted CMOs have spent years leading marketing and know how to drive revenue, grow a brand, and scale an organization while setting the vision for everyone else.

Here's your shortlist:

Melissa Waters, Chief Marketing Officer at Midi Health
Aijaz Ansari, Chief Marketing Officer at timextender
Deb Hannah, Chief Marketing Officer at Stride
Oleg Kovalev, Chief Marketing Officer at Aspect Health
Malkit (Mal) Kaur, Chief Marketing Officer at WealthAi

AI-Native Marketing Campaign of the Year

These campaigns didn't add AI as an extra. They were built with AI from day one, in the decisions, execution, and creative, and the results couldn't have happened without it.

Here's your Top 4:

Fletch Fletcher, Head of Marketing at Pluto Biosciences
Laura Renfroe, Senior Marketing Lead at Antora Energy
Abhishek Ratna, Head of Marketing, Media & Entertainment at Nebius
Alex Beresford, Chief Growth Officer at Taxfix

Marketing Team of the Year

These teams grow together, work across teams, and execute smartly. They've invested in learning and development, and their campaign performance shows it.

Here's your Top 5:

What's next?

A huge congratulations to everyone who made the shortlist. Getting here is a big achievement in itself.

Announcement date

So, the million-dollar question: when do we find out who's won?

We'll reveal the winners of the CMO Awards 2026 during our awards live broadcast on Tuesday, December 1. Save your spot and tune in here.

Good luck to everyone on the shortlist.