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The Fletcher Group has released its 2026 Women CMOs in Fintech Report, which found that most fintech Chief Marketing Officers expect to expand their teams in 2027.
Among respondents, 56% plan to add headcount, while 6% expect reductions. The study also found that 75% expect their budgets to increase in 2027, and none reported planned budget cuts.
The findings suggest a shift in how senior marketers view artificial intelligence as it becomes part of daily operations. Rather than using AI mainly to shrink teams, respondents said they are redesigning roles around AI fluency and new search-related skills.
AI is now widely used across routine marketing work. All respondents said they use AI for research and data analysis, while 88% said they have structured AI workflows in place.
The study also examined search behaviour. It found that 69% are already investing in answer engine optimisation and generative engine optimisation, and all respondents said they plan to increase that investment heading into 2027 as buyers increasingly use AI search to find companies.
Broader remit
The report also suggests that the marketing leadership role in fintech is expanding beyond communications and brand work. It found that 88% of respondents said their role had expanded over the past year, 75% report directly to the Chief Executive Officer, and 63% said they have direct influence over sales, revenue or growth.
That broader remit sits alongside a continued emphasis on human oversight in sensitive areas. The study found that 94% keep people in control of at least one high-stakes function, including regulated communications, crisis response, brand voice and positioning.
Jennifer Tramontana, Founder and President of The Fletcher Group, said the findings reflect a wider change in the marketing function.
"Five years of conversations with women CMOs have given us a front-row seat to how much this role has changed," Tramontana said.
She added that the spread of AI has not reduced the importance of senior decision-making.
"AI is helping marketing teams work differently, but it's also making experience and a deep understanding of the customer even more valuable. These leaders are helping their companies make smarter decisions about growth and how they earn trust," she said.
Changing assumptions
The results challenge a common assumption in parts of the marketing industry that wider AI adoption will automatically lead to smaller teams and lower spending. In this survey, respondents instead pointed to a model in which software handles more execution while experienced staff remain responsible for judgment-heavy work.
That distinction appeared most clearly in regulated and reputationally sensitive tasks. Areas such as crisis response, external messaging and company positioning were identified as functions where human control remains important despite broader automation of research and workflow.
Now in its fifth year, the report focuses on how women marketing leaders in fintech are adapting their teams and priorities as AI becomes embedded in day-to-day work. The figures suggest that, for this group of executives, AI is reshaping marketing departments more than reducing their size.
Among the clearest findings was that every respondent plans to increase investment in AEO and GEO heading into 2027.