At Forbes, we consistently recognize the best in business and innovation, but this week we got to do it from an entirely different platform. I was part of a group from Forbes that rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday to celebrate our 2026 World’s Most Influential CMOs list.

Before we went down to the floor to do the bell ringing, Forbes CMO Network President Linda Boff—who actually did the honors—shared why it’s so important to put successful CMOs in the spotlight.

“Marketing leaders, like the ones in this room, are being asked to navigate extraordinary change—once-in-a-career change, in many ways,” she said. “It’s not enough just to build a brand, and it’s not enough just to steward a brand. CMOs today are strategic business leaders that define what’s next for their organizations, drive meaningful growth, and set the pace for championing creativity and driving innovation—as well as demonstrating, as the CMOs on our list so beautifully do, the power of purpose-driven leadership.”

As we cheered the opening of trading this week, we also cheered for the work that CMOs do, especially in challenging times. I talked to Petula Lucey, WeWork’s chief marketing and communications officer, who was hired to transform the company’s story from a cautionary tale to one of success. With $2.3 billion in revenue last year, WeWork has so far mounted an impressive turnaround, and my conversation with Lucey is later in this newsletter.

This is the published version of Forbes’ CMO newsletter, which offers the latest news for chief marketing officers and other messaging-focused leaders. Click here to get it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday.

In the U.S., we’re accustomed to all kinds of sponsorship deals in the world of sports, even if they seem a bit sketchy. But as FIFA President Gianni Infantino has learned in the last two weeks, those kinds of deals won’t get far in other countries. Last week, Infantino floated a plan to raise $4.2 billion by selling a 20% stake in FIFA to an entity known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would control FIFA’s commercial and event operations.

And yes, the deal raised some eyebrows: The lead investor in the group hoping to take the stake was Thrive Eternal, a fund led by President Donald Trump-connected Josh Kushner. Forbes contributor Clemente Lisi writes the plan would have made FIFA seem more like something representing a multinational entertainment brand.

In order for the deal to take effect, it would have needed support from a majority of FIFA’s member organizations. Instead, many cried foul. Regional soccer federations, like the Union of European Football Associations; the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football; and the Asian Football Confederation spoke out against the deal. The groups assailed FIFA for trying to sell the “soul and governance” of the sport, as well as the short timeline for approval—especially immediately after a successful World........

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