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Raphael Werner Named CMO of the Year 2026

Raphael Werner, Denner's marketing chief, was awarded "CMO of the Year Switzerland 2026" by the Serviceplan Group Switzerland at the fifth edition of the award. A jury of 18 representatives from business, marketing, media and academia evaluated candidates using dossiers compiled by the Institute for Marketing & Customer Insight at the University of St.Gallen. Werner, who began his career at Lidl and now leads Marketing, Promotions, Digital Business and Customer Insights at Denner, was recognized for culturally relevant, data-driven customer leadership and bold brand communication. The award night took place at LaSalle in Schiffbau Zürich and the initiative is run by Serviceplan Group Switzerland in partnership with multiple Swiss industry organisations and media partners.

CMO of the Year: CMO Role Has Fundamentally Changed

An interview marking the fifth Swiss edition of the "CMO of the Year" award highlights how the CMO role has shifted from pure communication and brand management to include transformation leadership, data expertise, innovation, customer experience, sustainability and economic efficiency. The article names six nominees for CMO of the Year 2026 (Veronika Elsener, Andrea Hänggi, Antonia Lepore, Jens Plath, Roman Reichelt, Raphael Werner) and confirms the award-night on 20 August 2026 at LaSalle im Schiffbau. The selection process is multi-stage, led by a jury and supported by the Institute for Marketing & Customer Insight at the University of St. Gallen. Serviceplan created the award; a European edition debuted in Cannes in 2026. Partners include Admeira, APG, 20 Minuten, m&k, persönlich, Swiss Marketing and the University of St. Gallen institute.

2027 CMO Planning: Adaptability Over Budget

The article argues that traditional B2B marketing planning assumptions no longer match how buyers discover and decide. With buyers becoming harder to observe, AI altering discovery and evaluation, and measurement signals weakening, the author says simply increasing budgets or scaling existing optimization efforts won’t ensure impact. Instead, CMOs should prioritize focus, divestment, and building organizational adaptability—concentrating resources where value can compound and stopping legacy programs that reduce responsiveness. The piece cites Forrester research showing most B2B marketing leaders expect increased investment in the coming year and references the concept of a “B2B go-to-market singularity.”