The TOP 10 finalists (in alphabetical order) are:
“This year, the competition is exceptionally strong, and the marketing leaders who made it into the TOP 10 stand out not only for their results, but also for their ability to see the broader business picture — from finance to customer experience. This shows that the role of marketing in Lithuania is becoming increasingly strategic and closely tied to business growth,” says Jurga Varanavičius, head of Lithuanian Marketing Association (LiMA).
“This year’s final TOP 10 clearly demonstrates that the role of the marketing executive has significantly expanded. Today’s strongest candidates operate as business leaders who connect marketing with revenue growth, profitability, brand value, and the long-term direction of the organization.
A very visible trend this year is that marketing is increasingly moving away from functioning as a separate department and is becoming more of a growth system that connects data, product, sales, customer experience, and technology.
It is also important that this year’s finalists demonstrate not only growth stories, but also signs of maturity: the ability to balance brand-building with performance efforts, short-term results with long-term value, and global scale with local customer sensitivity.
In my view, the key message this year is very clear: today, a strong CMO is someone who not only communicates, but also creates tangible business value,” says jury member Lineta Ramonienė, Head of the Strategic Marketing Executive Master’s Program at ISM University of Management and Economics.
“We are seeing a clear market shift: while previously the strongest marketing leaders most often came from the FMCG sector, today more and more standout marketing executives are emerging from technology companies. This shows that the marketing function is becoming increasingly connected not only to brand growth, but also to data, product development, digital channels, and business growth strategy,” says Laura Duksaitė-Iškauskienė, partner at Master Class Lietuva.
The TOP 10 marketing leaders will participate in public live-streamed debates this Thursday, April 16. The debates will take place at Radijo namai.
The winner of the “CMO of the Year ’26” title will be announced and awarded during CMO Summit, Lithuania’s only marketing leadership conference, on April 23.
