Why It’s Now “VP of Marketing & Sales"

For years, the go-to title was VP of Sales & Marketing.

Sales drove revenue.
Marketing created slide decks, scheduled events, and printed brochures.

Not anymore.

In today’s AI-powered, digital Life Sciences market, Marketing isn’t secondary—
It’s the platform for growth.

Marketing Is Now the Growth Engine

Modern Sales reps need to be 4x more productive just to keep up.
Their competition isn’t just other reps—it’s AI, automation, and precision targeting.

That changes everything.

To scale, you now need:
👉 A well-defined GTM strategy
👉 Demand generation infrastructure
👉 Clear, differentiated positioning
👉 Brand credibility that opens doors
👉 AI tools that fuel productivity at scale

And that’s not built just in the field—it’s built in Marketing.

Without it, your Sales team is outnumbered and outgunned.

Why the Title Needs to Flip

The shift we’re seeing in executive search is clear:

CEOs and Investors aren’t just hiring Sales leaders anymore.
They’re looking for Commercial leaders who can lead with Marketing and close with Sales.

We still see the title “VP of Sales & Marketing,”
but that’s no longer enough for today’s Commercial environment.

The most effective candidates today are equal parts Marketer and Sales leader.

They’re not just managing a pipeline—
They’re building the engine that fuels it.

Related Reading

➡️ Phenotype vs. Genotype: Why Great Commercial Hires Need More Than a Resume
➡️ From Revenue to Repeatability: Hiring Leaders Who Can Scale

About Alder Brooks

We’re the only executive search firm focused exclusively on recruiting Commercial leadership in Life Sciences.
We help CEOs, Private Equity firms, and Venture Investors hire leaders who build scalable GTM engines—starting with the right balance of Marketing and Sales.

Save Time. Grow.™
👉 Explore more Commercial leadership insights →

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