CMO Employment Contract Tips to Protect You and Your Job

 On September 30, 2021, the website Ivy Exec published under executive “Advancing” an article I wrote on “CMO Employment Contract Tips to Protect You and Your Job”.

This new article is designed not only for C-level and senior executives, but even for many directors and mid-level executives, who currently are considering offers for the Chief Marketing Officer position but expect to soon receive such an executive job offer or who aspire to such an offer in the future.

As Chief Marketing Officer the executive may be expected to oversee all areas of a company’s overall promotion, branding, digital presence, advertising and sales strategy, as well as coordinating marketing efforts with the company’s product development, financial position and goals. My article mentions how responsibilities and authority of the CMO can vary by organization but often include most or all of these duties:

• Market research and analysis to better understand customer tastes and needs, and develop pricing strategy,
• Determination of the type of media best suited to reach target audience,
• Development and execution of a Digital marketing plan through various online and social media channels, proper SEO, email, and website development,
• Utilization where appropriate of advertising campaigns with giveaways, contests and other means to build interest in company products or services.

My article also discusses delineation of your duties, responsibilities, authority and reporting and including in your offer letter or employment contract key executive employment terms on which you rely to take the job.

Finally, but also importantly, my article next discusses what to seek in getting the right CMO Compensation Package, and concludes with a discussion of severance rights to enable you to protect the terms of your bargain reached with the company.

To see my full IvyExec Career Advice website article, go to LINK: https://www.ivyexec.com/career-advice/2021/cmo-employment-contract-tips

Or on my website at

https://www.executiveemploymentattorney.com/cmo-employment-contract-tips-to-protect-you-and-your-job/

IvyExec hosts articles and webinars from experts in the career, leadership, and business spaces who wish to share their knowledge with our audience. In April 2021, I was invited to write for IvyExec since it seeks original content on the topics of career development, leadership, and business strategy as it applies to senior-level and C-Suite professionals. IvyExec blog posts and webinars are shared with its community of more than 2 million members on its website, in its newsletter, and on its social media channels. https://www.ivyexec.com/career-advice/write-for-us/

It is my hope that this article will be of benefit to VPs, directors and senior executives who have the opportunity to negotiate their first job offer to be Chief Marketing Officer or for those who are already CMOs and seek more appropriate terms in their next job offer. My article suggests terms and approaches to each of you and thus I hope will provide you a benefit in your negotiations.

Feel free to tweet or share this article. If you or any colleague of yours has a need in this area, please do reach out to me at rob@attorneyadelson.com.

The “golden keys” that unlock “golden handcuffs”

Executive employment agreements and equity arrangements are the “golden keys” that unlock “golden handcuffs”. Signing bonuses serve as the key to open the door to hiring. Vesting options, bonuses and other “golden handcuff” benefits make executives more reluctant to leave their current position for a new one. However, signing bonuses are often used as a tool of persuasion – urging an executive to sign with a new company. Signing bonuses are crucial when accompanying a job offer that has a lower salary than an executive wants.

CEO, Maria Leone* sought out the counsel of Attorney Robert Adelson who helped her negotiate an increased signing bonus with a new firm that expressed interest in hiring her. Maria Leone was currently working as a CEO at a NY ad agency where she made a comfortable salary with foreseeable bonuses and vesting options, however when a young, rising agency (we will call Marketing X*) expressed interest with a higher salary Maria grew interested. Since the Marketing X was still young, and the salary the company was offering was not substantially higher Maria wanted to explore her options and negotiate her executive contract terms.

Attorney Adelson negotiated the executive’s employment agreement as well as her equity arrangements, convincing Marketing X to set up a package with stock and options to reward Maria’s loyalty later down the road. Attorney Adelson also negotiated a substantial increase in the signing bonus and an increased salary as well. The signing bonuses and equity arrangements that Marketing X arranged from Maria Leone helped make her particular transition between companies smooth and lucrative, making Maria whole for what she lost when leaving her current position.

Robert Adelson was successful with this representative case because he applied his over 30 years experience, care and time to help Maria Leone achieve a more desirable position. As a Boston executive employment attorney, with clients across the country, Attorney Adelson has helped many executives negotiate signing bonuses and employment agreements. This representative case highlights the success that Attorney Adelson’s executive compensation negotiations led to for CEO Maria Leone.

*All dates, client’s names and companies have been altered to keep confidentiality.

Negotiating Your COO Employment Agreement

On May 28, 2019, CEOWorld magazine published an article I wrote on “Negotiating Your COO Employment Agreement” The magazine advised me that I can use “Featured in the CEOWOLRD magazine” and the CEOWORLD “Logo” on my website.
 This article is designed for Chief Operating Officers (COOs) hired to oversee all areas of company operations, including production, marketing and sales, and research and development.  My article also recognizes that a COO can also be hired for further specific missions including any of the following:

• To fill a specific need in an operational area or line of business, e.g. to turnaround a failing operation,
• To expand company operations into a new market,
• To fill a gap in the CEO’s knowledge, expertise, skills, management style or experience, and thus complement the CEO,
• To meet the company need for succession planning when the CEO is about to retire where the Board wants to hire a COO to prepare him or her to be the successor CEO
• Conversely, to hire the COO to mentor a first-time founder-CEO where  the COO would likely be an industry veteran with wisdom and a business relationship network who can develop both the CEO and assist the scale up of the company to the next level or to achieve a liquidity event, or
• To hire the COO to mentor an inexperienced family-member CEO to aid that family member to grow into the job and responsibilities expected of him or her.

My article discusses delineation of your duties, responsibilities, authority and reporting and including in those special circumstances listed above.  My article also offers suggestions for your COO offer letter or employment contract to include key executive employment terms on which you rely to take the job.

My article next discusses what to seek in getting the right COO Executive Compensation Package, and concludes with a discussion of severance rights to enable you to protect the terms of your bargain reached with the company.

To see my full CEOWorld magazine. article, go to LINK:  https://ceoworld.biz/2019/05/28/negotiating-your-coo-employment-agreement/
Or my website at https://www.executiveemploymentattorney.com/negotiating-your-coo-employment-agreement/

With more than 12.4+ million-page views, CEOWORLD magazine is the world’s leading business magazine written strictly for CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, senior management executives, business leaders, and high net worth individuals worldwide.

With the editor’s email to me of May 28, 2019, advising me of publication, I was also advised that I can add CEOWORLD magazine in my LinkedIn profile’s “Experience Section” as an “Opinion Columnist.”  See https://ceoworld.biz/author/robert-adelson/

It is my hope that this article will be helpful to senior executives in technology, life sciences and other fields and industries, who are being recruited and have now, or anticipate soon receiving, an attractive offer to serve as COO, the chief operating officer with need to review the job offer or executive employment contract including special circumstances included in the position. If you or any colleague of yours has a need in this area, please do reach out to me at radelson@engelschultz.com.