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CMO Huddles has released the 2023 Top 101 B2B Marketing Influencers eBook, honoring marketing leaders who found ways to lead through budget cuts, stalled buying committees, longer sales cycles, and intense pressure to do more with less. This year’s list celebrates B2B CMOs who stayed resourceful, customer-focused, and connected to their peers.
Leading an effective marketing department has never been easy. Leading one in 2023 was, frankly, next to impossible.
The year started with budget cuts, especially across B2B companies. Buying committees slowed down, delayed decisions, and in many cases simply decided not to buy from new vendors. Even strong marketing and sales teams found themselves up against a market where urgency was harder to create.
Still, many B2B CMOs found ways to do more with less.
In-person events became a top priority again, but with sharper scrutiny. Some marketing leaders chose a bigger presence at fewer events, using “revenue in the room” as a practical filter for where to invest. Others used major events to bring dispersed marketing teams together, turning one investment into both a market-facing opportunity and an internal team-building moment.
The 2023 Top 101 list recognizes marketing leaders who adapted quickly when the old playbooks stopped working.
With fewer high-quality leads entering the pipeline, many CMOs focused on helping late-stage deals move forward. Micro-events became one practical answer: Small, high-value experiences with customers who could speak credibly on the brand’s behalf.
Customer growth mattered too. For many B2B companies, upsell and cross-sell became a more reliable path than net-new acquisition. Existing customers already knew the brand, already trusted the company, and were already approved vendors. CMOs who helped their organizations deliver real customer value had a meaningful advantage.
And they didn’t do this work alone.
The leaders celebrated in this eBook turned to peers for advice and counsel. They met one-on-one, joined small virtual huddles, stayed active in community, and kept learning from one another through a difficult year.
That’s the spirit behind the 2023 list: Influential B2B marketing leaders who kept sharing, caring, and daring each other to succeed despite the odds.
Explore the full list in the 2023 Top 101 B2B Marketing Influencers eBook.
CMO Huddles helps B2B marketing leaders win by bringing together peers, fresh perspectives, and opportunities to build stronger personal brands. Want to join the huddle? Learn more about CMO Huddles and apply to join the community.