Marketing Director — a practical course for Heads of Marketing (CMO)

Course overview

Description generated based on course syllabus and open data.

The “Marketing Director” program targets Heads of Marketing and professionals moving into a CMO role. It focuses on leadership mindset, measurable metrics, campaign planning, and collaboration with teams and vendors. The course is built around real cases and on-the-job scenarios.

Lecturer — Marketing Director Vova Sobolev

Marketing Director at “Kovalska”. Worked with PrivatBank, PrivatMarket, English Home, VARUS. Gold winner at Young Lions Marketers Competition Ukraine. Graduate of Stanford Graduate School of Business; advocates working with independent creative agencies.

Who the Marketing Director course fits / who it does not fit (CMO)

Fits

• Middle/Senior marketers and brand managers transitioning to Head of Marketing/CMO.
• Marketing Directors who need to structure processes, metrics, and briefings.
• Founders who manage marketing operations and vendor relations.

Does not fit

• Beginners without fundamental marketing and analytics knowledge.
• Those expecting quick fixes or guaranteed outcomes.
• Those avoiding teamwork and responsibility for processes.

Problem → outcome orientation for a Marketing Director

• Fragmented initiatives without focus → Goal map, priorities, and resource allocation.
• Unmeasured activities → KPIs, metrics, dashboards, and quality control.
• Weak vendor briefings → Clear scopes, SLAs, and evaluation criteria.
• Operational overload → Delegation, RACI, sprint calendar.
• Marketing–sales misalignment → Unified funnel and shared reporting.
• Opaque budgeting → Planning, forecasting, and post-analysis.

Comparison with alternatives for CMO and Head of Marketing

• Self-learning: flexible, but often lacks structure and vetted tools.
• Generic courses: provide fundamentals, less management context of a CMO role.
• MBA/Executive: strong on strategy, less on day-to-day marketing practice.
• Internal mentoring: depends on available expertise and mentor time.
• “Marketing Director” program: focuses on the leadership role, real cases, and applied frameworks.

Outcomes from completing the Marketing Director course

• Structured framework: strategy, positioning, brand architecture.
• Clear KPI system: metric trees, unit economics, reporting.
• Operational processes: campaign planning, sprints, briefings, retrospectives.
• Vendor management approach: selection, collaboration models, creative evaluation.
• Team interaction: roles, 1:1s, performance reviews.
• Management communication with the CEO and adjacent functions.
• Budget planning, risk management, and post-analysis practices.