Tuesday, September 23, 2025

“CMO of the Year” Award 2025: These Ten Marketing Leaders Are in the Running for Germany’s Most Prestigious Honor

The Top 10 for the “CMO of the Year” Award 2025 have been revealed. An expert panel from HORIZONT magazine has nominated ten outstanding marketing leaders, all of whom now have a chance at winning Germany’s most important award for CMOs.

The selection was based on seven key criteria: personality, achievements, innovation, customer centricity, purpose & sustainability, reputation, and internationality. Prior to that, the “CMO of the Year” Council – a group of around 100 senior marketers from leading companies in the DACH region – had created a shortlist.

The Top 10 (alphabetical order)

• Andrea Michelangelo Pacella, Leica
• Andrea Spielmann, Lorenz Snack-World
• Bernd Rützler, Kärcher
• Bjørn Gulden, adidas
• Kerstin Köder, SAP
• Maike Abel, Nestlé Germany
• Michael Schuld, MediaMarktSaturn
• Nadine Bartenschlager & Catherine Niebuhr, Beiersdorf AG
• Steffen Zeller, Rügenwalder Mühle
• Yvonne Wutzler & Thorsten Mühl, Cosnova

The winner of the “CMO of the Year” 2025 title will be chosen by a 19-member jury, consisting of Council members as well as selected marketing and media experts. The award ceremony will take place on October 14, 2025 in Munich during a festive gala dinner.

The evening will open with a keynote by internationally renowned photographer Jimmy Nelson titled “Weaving a tapestry of humanity”. In his talk, Nelson reflects on identity, diversity, and genuine human connection – perfectly in line with the Innovation Day’s theme, “Together we are Unlimited.”

Now in its twelfth year, the award is hosted by Serviceplan Group, REPUBLIC, Ad Alliance, The Trade Desk, Samsung Ads, Snap, and Spotify, in cooperation with Capital, ntv, HORIZONT, and the Institute for Marketing & Customer Insight at the University of St. Gallen.

Since its launch in 2014, the award has highlighted the relevance of marketing and the growing importance of the CMO role in Germany. Its guiding principle: “By CMOs for CMOs.”