The
Marketing
Leadership
Masterclass
By Thomas Barta & Syl Saller
Brought to you by the Marketing Leadership Institute
April 1, 2025
1,695 € (∼1,450 £ /1,860 US$). Ask for a team rate.
Real-time cohort • 100% online • 12-week sprint
MAKE GROWTH HAPPEN
In a 12-week sprint: Build your growth skills. Boost your career. Backed by the world’s largest-ever studies on marketers’ success.
The Marketing Leadership Masterclass.
In a nutshell.
Learn to lead upwards!
Master what other classes won’t teach you. In just 12 bitesize modules, learn how to win over stakeholders, mobilize colleagues & clients, lead empowered teams. It’s the complete marketing leadership class by world-leading experts Thomas Barta & Syl Saller.
Study with peers
Come together 24/7 with fellow students from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacific. On our unique discussion platform, solve challenges, help others. Be part of a real-time peer group. In this class, you are never alone!
10 minutes daily, 12 weeks
We’ve built this 12-week sprint from the ground up for busy people. All lectures are short and on demand. Learn at your own pace. In this class, you can’t fall behind. Earn your Certificate in Marketing Leadership!
What’s it going to be like?
Log on and immediately meet your peers from around the globe, client-side, agency-side—from a large variety of industries. Network, make friends!
This is a fun, 12-week sprint. Every week, we’ll message you with one new lecture, including bite-sized videos and readings.
Check out the lecture, then join the discussion with your peers, ask questions, solve problems together!
Each week, we’ll also give you questions for your workbook, so you can apply the learnings right away.
Almost every week, we’ll run a live session with Thomas, Syl, or top-ranking guest mentors.
Time zones? No worries! Everything is online 24/7. We also record the key live sessions. Take the class at your own pace—whenever, wherever.
Facing difficult issues? Need help ? Turn to one of our Mentors or join their weekly Coaching Circles to get real, personal support.
Throughout the Masterclass, we’ll give you 4 short Challenges, asking you to apply what you have learned.
Once you have completed the class, you’ll receive your graded Certificate in Marketing Leadership.
The program starts April 1, 2025 and runs for 12 weeks.
In just 12 weeks, become the influential marketer you always wanted to be!
The Marketing Leadership Masterclass: impact!
Participant ratings
- More business impact 90%
- More confidence 91%
- Useful time spent 97%
Average participants scores, 2021-2024, % top-box agreement
How this class works. All you need to know in short clips.
Success stories. See how the Marketing Leadership Masterclass has made a difference for our alumni.
“For the first time in a long time, I remembered how transformative and inspirational an educational experience could be.”
Ricardo Campos
HSBC, Mexico
“It has overthrown some of my old beliefs and myths about what marketing leaders should be!”
Olivia Sham
HSBC, Hong Kong
“I’d highly recommend the course to anyone who wants to become a bolder, more rounded and better connected leader.”
Chris Doe
Pilgrim’s Food Masters
“An insightful, innovative and thoroughly enjoyable experience that I would recommend to even the most seasoned marketer leader.”
Leandro Perez
Salesforce, Vice President & CMO, Asia Pacific
“Strongly recommend it for anyone grappling with marketing leadership challenges.”
Chris Kollas
TCS World Travel, USA
“This class is not a Marketing course but a Marketing Leadership course, which is what makes it great.”
Philippe Bertreau
Amcor, Italy
“I now have inspiration, insight and motivation to venture into the world of marketing with real courage!”
Jimmy Bowens
Education Perfect, Australia
“Thanks for such a great course. And to everyone for sharing your feedback and personal insights – all of which were very helpful!”
Louise Wiseman
TUI, UK
“The Marketing Leadership Masterclass is unlike any other course I’ve ever taken. I am so glad I did!”
Villy Nikolaidou
Covestro, Germany
“The class has had a huge positive impact and has encouraged me to stay focused, motivated and intentional for my team.”
Justina Phoon
Turnitin, Australia
“An eye-opening experience. Very important and insightful lessons!”
Beverly Travasso
Emirates, Dubai
“I loved every minute and I’m applying my learnings day to day.”
Diana Simon-Bruns
Asahi, The Netherlands
“Thank you for the amazing content and course, it really has been outstanding.”
Charlotte Dewhurst
RS Components
“The Marketing Leadership Masterclass has been a fantastic experience.”
Oliver Scott-Harden
Norseland
“If you are looking for a course which is inspirational, packed with useful tools, the Marketing Leadership Masterclass is for you! “
Louise Grace
Nomad Foods, UK
“I highly recommend the Marketing Leadership Masterclass to anyone looking to better inspire and influence change.”
Shannon Winter
Atlassian, USA
“I’m feeling more confident and braver than ever before and am excited about what the future holds for myself, my company and most importantly my customers.”
Anna McInally
Camelot
“The Marketing Leadership Masterclass has been one of the best courses I have ever done.”
Nicole Burdett
ODEON Cinemas
“I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for such a totally brilliant course. I can’t tell you how invigorated I feel for doing it.”
Kirsty Button
Legal and General
“The Masterclass has been an extremely valuable experience – insightful and actionable.”
Chris Aylott
BBC
“If you are still thinking about it, just take the plunge, you won’t regret it.”
Delphine Grauf
Premier Foods, UK
Learning redefined. You aren’t just watching—you’ll join the debate.
We’ve designed one of the world’s most interactive learning platforms to help you learn from your peers.
Step 1: watch. We’ll release fresh lectures every couple of days, with short videos and readings.
Step 2: discuss. For each lecture, we have formulated a set of powerful questions—centered around your work. Join the community debate, share ideas, ask questions, support each other—24/7.
Step 3: apply. With help of questions and your workbook, build your plan. Make change happen—right next day.
You’ll learn a lot from the videos. But the real magic happens when you team up and solve problems together with your peers.
Guest mentors. Learn from top-ranking leaders during our fireside chats.
Fall 2024
Hope Bagozzi
Tim Hortons, Chief Marketing Officer
Fall 2024
Mark Sandys
Diageo, Chief Innovation Officer
Fall 2024
Claire Cronin
Chelsea FC, Chief Marketing Officer
Fall 2024
Samuel Day
Direct Line Group, Chief Marketing Officer
Fall 2024
Lucinda Barlow
Uber, Head of International Marketing
Spring 2024
Pete Markey
Chief Marketing Officer, Boots
Spring 2024
Jessica Myers
Chief Marketing Officer, Very
Spring 2024
Lex Bradshaw-Zanger
Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, L’Oréal
Spring 2024
Leandro Perez
SVP & CMO, Asia Pacific, Salesforce
Spring 2024
Lisa Delaney
Head of Marketing & Lifestyle, Cathay Pacific
Fall 2023
Jayne O'Brien
Head of Marketing, Product and Loyalty, JetBlue Airways
Fall 2023
Ellie Norman
Chief Communications Officer, Manchester United
Fall 2023
Becky Brock
Global Commercial, Marketing & Innovation Director, Costa Coffee
Fall 2023
Jill Murray
Chief Marketing Officer, Arcadis
Spring 2023
Sophie Devonshire
CEO, The Marketing Society
Fall 2023
Andréa Mallard
Global Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Pinterest
Spring 2023
Bart Quinton Smith
Managing Director, First Choice (TUI)
Spring 2023
Yukiko Yamaguchi
Panasonic Connect, Chief Marketing Officer
Spring 2023
Natalie Truong
Mercer, Chief Marketing Officer & Partner
Spring 2023
Mark Sandys
Diageo, Chief Innovation Officer
Spring 2023
Meghan Farren
KFC, UK & Ireland General Manager
Spring 2022
Mark Phibbs
Cisco, Vice President Marketing, APAC
Spring 2021
Wendy Walker
Salesforce, Senior Director Marketing Asia Pacific
Fall 2021
Ljubica Radoicic
Autodesk, Director, Revenue Marketing APAC
Spring 2021
Rory Sutherland
Ogilvy, Vice Chairman and Creative Director, UK
Spring 2021
Jackie Lee-Joe
Netflix, Former Global CMO
Fall 2020
Ann Pickering
Telefonica / O2, Former CHRO & Chief of Staff
Fall 2020
Katharyn White
T-Systems, CMO
Fall 2020
Alexander Knigge
Emirates, SVP digital
Fall 2020
Luca A. Zerbini
Amcor, Vice President and General Manager
Fall 2022
Gareth Helm
HomeServe, Chief Marketing Officer
Fall 2020
Johannes Floors
Para sprinter, world record holder, gold medalist
Fall 2021
Sarah Warby
Nando’s, Chief Customer Officer
Spring 2022
Helen Tupper
Amazing If, Co-founder & CEO
Fall 2021
Mark Evans
Direct Line, Group Managing Director, Marketing & Digital
Fall 2024
Brent Smart
Telstra, Chief Marketing Officer
Learn marketing leadership. In 12 pathbreaking modules.
Leading marketing isn’t the same as doing marketing.
You love marketing. You have a passion for customers. But you realize, for success, doing marketing isn’t enough. For real business impact – and a rocking career – you need the support of bosses, clients, colleagues. We call this leading upwards and sideways (see our McKinsey Quarterly article).
For this Masterclass, we’ve designed a world-class 12-module curriculum. Learn practical tools of organizational psychology, motivation, and change. Get access to the insights from the world’s largest studies on marketers’ success. Each module has bitesize lectures with videos, questions for your Power Journal, further reading, and a lively peer discussion!
1 UPWARDS
Find your Value Creation Zone
Study time (fast track): 4h
Think like a CEO. Serve both customer needs and company needs, to claim your seat at the top table.
What you will learn:
- Building Value Creation Zones
- Stakeholder needs analysis
- Big picture thinking
- Convincing stakeholders
- Asking to lead
2 UPWARDS
Deliver returns, no matter what
Study time (fast track): 3h
For your marketing idea, for your change project: what’s the return? Stakeholders care—and need to know.
What you will learn:
- Setting expectations
- Building your investor brand
- Using success metrics
- Explaining indirect effects
- Budget strategies
3 UPWARDS
Become irresistible
Study time (fast track): 4h
Let’s talk about your personal brand. As a leader of change, build your reputation as someone everybody wants to have on their team.
What you’ll learn:
- Reading personalities
- Speaking up in meetings
- Mastering the right language
- Avoiding jargon
- Working with strong partners
4 SIDEWAS
Align the silos
Study time (fast track): 3h
As a marketing leader, you’ll never have all the power. You must find ways to mobilize the people who don’t report you.
What you will learn:
- Finding windows for change
- Surviving in a matrix
- Colleagues as customers
- Building idiosyncrasy credits
- How to go first
5 SIDEWAS
Feed them forward
Study time (fast track): 4h
When everyone joins in, projects become movements. For your work, how could you start one?
What you will learn:
- Bitesizing the issues
- Feeding people forward
- Using data for change
- Crafting your change story
6 SIDEWAS
Grab the ball
Study time (fast track): 4h
Storytelling is nice. Storydoing is better. Marketing leaders involved and create real results.
What you will learn:
- Going around the roots
- Listening, deciding, communicating
- Dealing with GMOOT
- Ways of pushing back
7 TEAMS
Get the mix right
Study time (fast track): 2.5h
To make change happen, your most powerful marketing team has distinctive skills and sings the same tune.
What you will learn:
- Finding distinctive skills
- Selecting personality traits
- Aligning team goals
- Writing a team mission
- Agreeing on how to behave
8 TEAMS
Give them wings
Study time (fast track): 2.5h
Help your team ask for forgiveness—not just for permission. That’s the path to innovation. Great teams have trust and confidence.
What you will learn:
- Displaying professionalism
- Building intimacy
- Taming your ego
- The “forgiveness rule”
- Being the Chief Mood Officer
9 TEAMS
Let the Outcomes Speak
Study time (fast track): 2.5h
Your team doesn’t get rewarded for effort—but for outcomes. How could you create a climate that attracts the top performers?
What you will learn:
- Peer accountability
- Outside focus
- Agreeing on what “not” to do
- Evaluating without bias
- Letting people go
10 YOURSELF
Know how you inspire
Study time (fast track): 3h
No matter how high you rise, you’ll never have all the power. Your best bet is to inspire people.
What you will learn:
- The power of inspiration
- How you inspire today
- What’s under the waterline?
- Why you do what you do
- Inspiring as a leadership tool
11 YOURSELF
Do it your way
Study time (fast track): 2h
Your influence grows once you find your own change leader path—and spread your own truths.
What you will learn:
- Unfollowing people
- Finding your own truths
- Effective authenticity
- Challenging job descriptions
- What your real job is
12 YOURSELF
Aim higher
Study time (fast track): 4h
What’s your vision for success? The most effective marketing leaders have a dream and know why to be brave.
What you will learn:
- The importance of bravery
- Why you must be brave
- The power of a vision
- Charting your own path
- When it’s best to quit
Get personal support. Our Community Mentors look forward to working with you.
Our Community Mentors can’t wait to help you learn, connect, inspire. Successful marketers and previous Marketing Leadership Masterclass participants, they know what it takes to make marketing leadership work.
Oliver Lester
Senior Marketing Consultant, Direct Line Group
Nandini Anitha Nandakumar
Senior General Manager, Marketing, Diageo
Kirt Daunt
Marketing Manager, Telstra
Rachel Moss, Lead Mentor
Head of Marketing Strategy, Allwyn
Matthew Crole Rees
Head of Customer- Acquisition & Retention Marketing at Confused.com
Oliver Bowie
Independent Marketing Consultant & Mentor
How it all started: The world’s largest ever study on marketers’ success.
What makes an effective and successful marketing leader? To find out, we conducted the world’s largest ever study of marketing leadership, involving over 68,000 executive assessments. For the first time, their research revealed 12 essential traits that can make or break marketers’ business impact and career success. Read the details in the #1 leadership book for marketers: The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader
The Marketing Leadership Masterclass takes all learnings to a whole new level—including brand new insights from top global business schools and C-suite leaders.
Thomas Barta
Thomas is the managing director of the Marketing Leadership Institute. He is a former senior marketer, turned partner of McKinsey, turned organizational psychologist. Thomas conducts research at the intersection of business growth and leadership – including the world’s largest study – with over 68,000 assessments – on what makes for an impactful marketing officer. Every year, he speaks at countless company events and conferences.
The aim? Secure customers and marketers a voice in the boardroom!
His and Patrick Barwise’s book, The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader, has set the new standard for marketing leadership. As a dean of the firm’s highest-rated internal program, Thomas trained over a thousand McKinsey leaders on driving change without authority. To date, thousands of executives have attended his marketing leadership classes.
Thomas is the Dean of the Global CMO Fellowship Dean and an Honorary Fellow of the Marketing Society.
His work appears in Forbes, Marketing Week, Nikkei and on his TryThis.Blog.
Syl Saller
Syl Saller CBE, is among marketing’s preeminent global leaders of our time.
In her role as Chief Marketing and Innovation officer for Diageo, owner of iconic brands like Johnnie Walker, Guinness, and Smirnoff, Syl led all global marketing, media, design, innovation, R&D, and reserve—Diageo’s luxury division. Her experience ranges from luxury goods to FMCG and retail/franchisee models, and she has a deep understanding of both developed and emerging markets.
An experienced Board member, Syl is President of the Marketing Society, sits on the board of the Marketing Academy, and is an Executive Coach for their Fellowship program. She has been a Non-Executive Director of Domino’s Pizza Group plc, on the executive committee of the World Federation of Advertisers, a Trustee for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and Chairman of Distill Venture’s Investment Committee.
Syl has been consistently recognized for her service to industry. She was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queens 2020 Honour list in recognition of her services to business and equality in the workplace. She has been Marketer of the Year and one of WFA’s Top 5 Global CMO’s, Debrett’s 500 Most Influential People in Britain, Campaign’s Top 5 Marketers, Ad Age’s Women to Watch, and Forbes 50 Most Influential CMOs.
Answers to your questions
Participants
Who is this Masterclass for?
We welcome all skill levels. The Marketing Leadership Masterclass is for everyone who wants more impact and career success. If you want to make change happen, this class is for you.
Experienced leaders will learn how to shape the top agenda, influence throughout the firm, and build powerful teams that ask for forgiveness, not for permission.
Emerging leaders will discover why projects sometimes get stuck and what the world’s best influencers do to win.
Agency executives will gain the skills to influence the people who matter and become their clients’ most trusted advisor by helping them achieve real impact.
Career movers will learn how to plan their next gig, get ready to ask the right questions, set the right priorities, and hit the ground running.
What exactly is included in the Marketing Leadership Masterclass?
- 12 modules, seeded over 12 weeks, covering all aspects of marketing leadership
- Networking with peers on our 24/7 discussion board, where you can ask questions and help others
- 50+ videos, exercises to trigger your thinking, links to articles and speeches …
- … bitesize insights, perfect for busy people
- 100 days overall access to the platform
- Weekly email updates, SMS reminders (optional)
- Interactive live sessions with Thomas, Syl and a panel of guest speakers
- Becoming part of the Marketing Leadership Masterclass Alumni network
Read the full brochure.
Can I take the class in my time zone?
You absolutely can. First off, we have participants from around the globe. All modules are available on demand, 24/7. For the live sessions, we’ll try and match all time zones. In case you can’t join at that particular time, you can always watch the recording. No matter if you live in the Americas, APAC, Africa, Europe—the class is there for you at your own time.
Can I access the class from anywhere in the world?
We have built the Marketing Leadership Masterclass, using some of the world’s most advanced technology platforms, for example Discourse and Vimeo. Both have proven to be highly reliable and accessible from all around the world. In rare cases, governments may block even these major global platforms, meaning participants can only access the class using a VPN. A simple way to check is to click the two links above.
Are there exams? Will I receive a certification?
The Marketing Leadership Masterclass is a rigorous, comprehensive course. It holds powerful strategies to help you tackle real life issues. You’ll get to discus with peers. You’ll work on your personal plan. We’ll put on 4 fun challenges. But there are no exams. You don’t need people to check on your knowledge. Your real exam is life. That’s what we are helping you build.
Upon completion you will receive your Certificate in Marketing Leadership. We’ll award pass, merit and distinction, depending on how much you have contributed to the class discussion and how many challenges you have handed in. The Certificate also confirms the average total hours of professional learning (currently 38).
What's the real time commitment?
You have a lot of freedom to decide your time commitment.
If you are looking to experience the full Marketing Leadership Masterclass depth, devote 3-4 hours per week. If you are very pressed for time, 30 minutes a week will allow you to attend all lessons and discuss with peers.
Here is a simple 1-2-3 rule. Each week, watch 1 lecture, ask 2 questions, and answer 3 questions from your peers. If you can do that – and that’s easy, right? – you’ll take your skills to a whole new level.
How does the discussion platform work?
On the Marketing Leadership Masterclass platform, you can collaborate with participants from different companies, across the globe. Form groups – start new topics – join powerful debates. We have mentors to help direct the discussion—as needed. Thomas and Syl will reply to your questions during the Q&A sessions.
How much does the Marketing Leadership Masterclass cost?
The standard tuition fee for the full 12-week course, all material, the live sessions, and 100 days access to the collaboration platform is 1,695 € + VAT for companies, where applicable. That’s less than your average couples’ weekend trip.
Booking for a team? Contact us and we’ll get you a great group rate.
Read the full brochure.
Is the Masterclass good value?
The Marketing Leadership Masterclass differs from almost any other class you can take. At its heart is intense peer discussion. You can interact and learn with others, debate, and form groups. In this Masterclass, you’ll work on real-life issues—based on rigerous research and proven leadership strategies. If you fully embrace it, this class will be transformational for your career.
When can I start?
We run open Marketing Leadership Masterclasses about twice a year. Read the full brochure.
If you have a team of 100 or more, we may put on a class specifically for you. Just message us at [email protected]
Why is this risk free?
You’ll join a group of very engaged peers from around the globe. The Masterclass get’s top student ratings. It’s important to us that the class – and the timing – is right for you. That’s why we offer you the following:
- If your plans change before or early on in the class, we’ll happily book you on the next class
- If you have attended the full class, and – after you graduate – believe it wasn’t worth your while, we’ll refund you the full fee
Interested? Read the full brochure.
Learning professionals
Can you help us train larger teams?
We have designed the class to enable easy training for larger teams—fast, effective, and scalable. Our comprehensive 12-week learning journeys are tailor-made for teams. They include dedicated mentors, regular reporting, and customized challenges to ensure seamless integration with your internal change agenda. Team packages are available for:
- 5-9 participants
- 10-19 participants
- 20 or more participants
How can you tailor a program to us?
We’re committed to applied learning. For groups of 10 or more, we provide a unique opportunity: participants can undertake challenges specifically tailored to your organization. These real-world tasks have included, for example:
- Designing a new performance management system
- Finding strategies to boost entrepreneurship
- Establishing a product launch process
- Implementing upward feedback mechanisms
Before your class begins, your dedicated mentor will collaborate with you to customize these challenges. This approach ensures that participants not only learn but also drive tangible change within your organization!
Where does this class fit in our learning schedule?
The Marketing Leadership Masterclass brings a unique angle to education: organizational change. This isn’t just another course. It fills a gap that standard company training sometimes misses.
Firm trainings today may include: (A) functional training like product management, pricing, digital, finance; (B) company-specific training on ways of working, culture, processes; (C) foundational leadership training covering team leadership, mindfulness, purpose, etc.
Few existing trainings, delve into organizational psychology, crucial for leaders facing unique change-challenges.
Our Masterclass complements proven company trainings. It equips participants with skills to navigate trust and power dynamics, guiding bosses, clients, and colleagues towards effective change implementation.
The class is ideal for those working within an organization or leading clients, welcoming all levels of expertise.
How can we track learning success?
For teams with 10 or more members, a dedicated team mentor will be assigned. This mentor can regularly update both the sponsor and the learning team on the team’s progress.
Upon completing the course, participants will receive a Certificate in Marketing Leadership. Performance will be assessed based on class engagement and the completion of challenges. Additionally, the certificate will indicate the average professional learning hours required, which currently stands at 38 hours.
Is this only for people from the marketing department?
What’s a marketer? In our view, a marketer is everybody in the business of change. The Marketing Leadership Masterclass is for people who market a product, a service, or simply an idea. This class is about mobilizing people for change—a broad skillset that’s going to be useful for most leaders.
We have a broad range of participants from B2B firms, consumer goods companies, consultancies, agencies, technology firms.
Check out some of our past participants here.
How does the Marketing Leadership Masterclass differ from other classes?
To the best of our knowledge, no other class in the world is teaching executives the art of mobilizing bosses, colleagues, clients, teams, and self—to achieve what really matters: making business growth happen.
In the world’s largest ever study on customer leaders’ impact, Thomas and Prof. Patrick Barwise have proven: leadership skills trump functional skills.
The Marketing Leadership Masterclass doesn’t teach marketing. This class equips participants with core principles of organizational psychology: how to mobilize people and lead growth—inside firms and with clients.
Read the full brochure.
Is the Marketing Leadership Masterclass accredited?
Accreditations are useful for certain types of standard courses. The badge helps the course stand out. It also helps learning professionals avoid errors. It’s about norms.
We are taking a very different approach. Instead of keeping everything static, we tweak each Masterclass to be the best version it can be. Each day, we monitor participant engagement. Every cohort is different. For example, we add or remove lectures as we go, based on what participants need. We don’t target norms—we target impact. We believe our participant’s success is proving us right.
Based on participant contribution and challenge completion, we will award a graded Certificate in Marketing Leadership. The Certificate also confirms the average total hours of professional learning (currently 38).
Can we pay by invoice?
Joining the class is as easy as buying a conference ticket. Our platform takes all major credit cards and you’ll get an invoice momentarily.
We are offering invoice payments for groups of 15 or more participants, as long as payment is received by the start of the class.
A letter to your boss
The Marketing Leadership Masterclass is more affordable than your average conference ticket. Furthermore, most companies support employees who take the class. Here’s some inspiration for a letter to your boss or HR team:
Dear _______,
I like to take the world’s foremost course on marketing leadership: the Marketing Leadership Masterclass. Would you sponsor me?
As you know, I’m working on several important projects. I’ve developed my functional skills. But I realize, making change happen can be tricky. It’s about getting support from decision makers, colleagues, clients/customers. That’s what I need to learn now.
In particular, I believe this class will help me to …
Any training next to my demanding projects will stretch me. Luckily, the class is very flexible. I can schedule lectures to fit my calendar. I’ll get a graded Certificate upon completion.
The class costs less than a conference ticket and I’d love to sign up by _______.
I believe the Marketing Leadership Masterclass is the training I – and perhaps our entire team – need right now.
Would you support me and reimburse the training fee?
Best regards,