The boardroom dynamics of marketing budgets

Firmwide leaders share a common goal: driving profitable growth.

Yet the twin ambitions of increasing revenue and controlling costs are often viewed as mutually exclusive. Should a firm invest now to fuel growth next year, or reduce spend today to improve short‑term profitability? Layer on rising risk, rapid technological change and an evolving regulatory landscape, and the boardroom quickly becomes a forum for spirited debate.

For professional services firms, these conversations increasingly focus on questions such as: how to measure the commercial return on brand‑building activity; the optimal balance between client relationship investment and new‑market acquisition; how marketing and business development teams can leverage technology without inflating cost; and what “efficient growth” really looks like in a partnership structure. These issues, often nuanced and sometimes contentious, are now central to annual budget cycles.

Frequently positioned on opposite sides of the argument are the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Marketing Officer. How, then, can these business services leaders align on the scale and priorities of the marketing budget?

To explore this question, we are bringing together a CEO with a finance background, an executive coach who was formerly a CFO, and me as recently-minted Chief Commercial Officer.

Hope to see you there.