CMO – Growth and Brand — Vehicle-Software Programme

The mandate

A recent strategy review exposed growth investment spread across channels without clear incrementality within a privately held integrated automotive and components manufacturer. The immediate arena is the vehicle-software programme during a software-defined vehicle transition. For mandate 292, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The CMO – Growth and Brand operating perimeter covers approximately ¥10,650 billion in regional revenue and programme portfolio, with activity spanning several vehicle-software programme customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The CMO – Growth and Brand Automotive remit carries direct influence over roughly 1,725 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The group board and the relevant risk and people committees want a CMO – Growth and Brand who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the vehicle-software programme. The CMO – Growth and Brand Automotive seat must resolve a software-defined vehicle transition, while preserving the underlying strengths of the vehicle-software programme. For mandate 292, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The CMO – Growth and Brand’s first year on the vehicle-software programme is expected to end with efficient demand, brand salience and a common growth scorecard. In mandate 292, authority covers resources and leadership appointments; material trade-offs go directly to the board sponsor.

Why this seat is open

This is a newly created CMO – Growth and Brand — Vehicle-Software Programme seat, established because a software-defined vehicle transition now requires one accountable executive rather than distributed ownership. The board has classified the appointment as urgent and intends to move from qualified shortlist to offer within 6–8 weeks. Interim governance protects the vehicle-software programme, but it is not a substitute for a permanent appointee. The external search remains confidential to avoid unnecessary disruption before the appointment is agreed.

What you will own

• Set the CMO – Growth and Brand value-creation thesis for the vehicle-software programme, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately ¥10,650 billion in regional revenue and programme portfolio, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the CMO – Growth and Brand Automotive organisation of about 1,725 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the vehicle-software programme economics and execution constraints created by a software-defined vehicle transition, with CMO – Growth and Brand-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one CMO – Growth and Brand operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the vehicle-software programme; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Prove incremental commercial contribution using controlled evidence, not only reach, activity or brand awards in mandate 292.
• Build the CMO – Growth and Brand’s three-year succession and capability plan for the vehicle-software programme, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Automotive organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the vehicle-software programme baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to growth investment spread across channels without clear incrementality, assess the leadership team, stabilise immediate delivery risks and agree a board-owned scorecard with explicit decision gates.
• Months 4–9: Make the principal CMO – Growth and Brand portfolio and organisation choices for the vehicle-software programme, install the new operating cadence, fill critical leadership gaps and deliver the first measurable release of cash, capacity or customer value.
• Months 10–12: Demonstrate a repeatable vehicle-software programme trend against efficient demand, brand salience and a common growth scorecard, lock the following year’s capital and talent plan, evidence control sustainability and present a credible three-year value case with downside actions.

What the board will measure

• Delivery of the CMO – Growth and Brand’s agreed first-year vehicle-software programme value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A CMO – Growth and Brand forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the vehicle-software programme’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the CMO – Growth and Brand mandate’s highest-priority vehicle-software programme risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical vehicle-software programme talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the CMO – Growth and Brand’s direct reports.
• A quantified CMO – Growth and Brand-owned improvement in the vehicle-software programme operating constraint behind a software-defined vehicle transition, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 292: no unresolved high-severity escalation older than 30 days and no material surprise withheld from its agreed governance forum.

The person

You are currently a CMO, Growth Officer or Regional Marketing Vice President in a privately held Automotive or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the vehicle-software programme, your CMO – Growth and Brand track record includes a transition where the original plan was no longer sufficient; you can explain your choices, evidence and numerical impact. Candidates from automotive, industrial manufacturing, mobility, components or engineering services will be considered where the operating model, customer stakes and governance intensity match this CMO – Growth and Brand brief.

As a CMO – Growth and Brand candidate, you bring 22–28 years of progressive Automotive or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 22-28 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of ¥6,200 billion and led an organisation of at least 1,200 people.

For mandate 292, the board wants two transitions: a difficult vehicle-software programme portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during a software-defined vehicle transition. As the prospective CMO – Growth and Brand for this vehicle-software programme, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 292 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The CMO – Growth and Brand must be based in Tokyo; international relocation is supported, but this Automotive role is not designed as a remote appointment.

Non-negotiables

• Current or recent accountability at the level of CMO, Growth Officer or Regional Marketing Vice President, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Automotive governance forum.
• Proven CMO – Growth and Brand ownership of at least ¥6,200 billion and leadership of no fewer than 1,200 employees in a comparable vehicle-software programme context.
• One completed Automotive or adjacent-sector example of growth investment spread across channels without clear incrementality with outcomes sustained for at least two reporting periods after the initial intervention.
• Sector credibility from automotive, industrial manufacturing, mobility, components or engineering services; experience that is purely functional and lacks CMO – Growth and Brand-level vehicle-software programme consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the Tokyo location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 292.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated CMO – Growth and Brand package is ¥38–50 million base + annual incentive, calibrated to the final vehicle-software programme scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 292 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The CMO – Growth and Brand appointment in Tokyo, centred on the vehicle-software programme, offers regular exposure to the group board and the relevant risk and people committees. A notice period of up to 6 months can be accommodated for the selected executive in mandate 292.

Confidentiality

Client identity is withheld at this stage and will be disclosed under mutual confidentiality after an initial fit discussion for mandate 292. Rounded ranges and blended context prevent this document from being used to triangulate the organisation for mandate 292.