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Building Future-Proof Marketing Teams: An Interview with Robine and Stefanie
How can marketing leaders prepare their teams for what’s next?
The marketing function has never been more complex. Between new technologies, growing expectations, and the pressure to prove ROI, today’s marketing leaders face a new challenge: how to build teams that are ready not just for this quarter, but for the next five years.
We sat down with Robine and Stefanie, the two women that lead our Talent Search, to explore what defines future-proof marketing talent and how leaders can attract, grow, and retain the right profiles for long-term success.
Q: What makes a marketer truly “future-proof”?
Stefanie: The best marketers today share a growth mindset. They’re curious, open to change, and not afraid to question how things are done. Marketing evolves so fast that what you know today might be irrelevant in two years. The people who stay relevant are the ones who keep learning, testing, and adapting.
Q: Robine, in a recent webinar, you mentioned that job-hopping has lost its stigma. What do you mean by that?
Robine: Exactly. Job-hopping has lost its stigma. New generations are less likely to stay in one role for more than two years. They prefer to learn and grow. And that’s not a bad thing. It just means companies need to create environments where learning and development are part of the culture. If you offer growth and challenge, people stay longer because they evolve with you.
Q: Many teams are built around specialists today. Think about data, content, automation, and so on. How can leaders make that work without creating silos?
Stefanie: I would say that collaboration is the glue. A high-performing marketing team isn’t just a list of specialists; it’s an ecosystem. The real value comes when those people connect. When a CRM expert understands customer storytelling or when a data analyst helps shape a creative strategy. That’s where innovation happens.
Q: Robine, what’s your advice for hiring managers who want to find adaptable people like that?
Robine: It’s hard to think of one advice specifically, but I always say that it’s way more powerful to hire for potential, than just for experience. You can teach tools, but not mindset. If someone shows they can learn fast and align with your culture, they’ll often outperform someone who’s ‘perfect on paper’.
And it starts with how you write your job description. It’s important to focus less on a checklist of tasks and more on outcomes, learning opportunities, and impact. That attracts the right kind of people.
Q: What do you think are some of the biggest challenges companies face when hiring for the future?
Stefanie: There are definitely a few challenges (laughs). I believe that one of the biggest challenges is that many organizations still hire reactively. They post a vacancy when someone leaves. But future-proof hiring requires more strategic thinking. You need to map your current capabilities, anticipate what skills you’ll need next year, and start building that talent pipeline early.
Robine: I’d add that alignment across teams is key. Sometimes HR, marketing, and management have slightly different ideas of what ‘good’ looks like. Taking the time to align on what kind of mindset and impact you need before you start recruiting saves a lot of frustration later.
Q: Do you have any final advice for marketing leaders building their teams for the future?
Robine: Be intentional. Don’t hire just to fill a seat. Focus on hiring to move your business forward. Focus on people who are curious and collaborative, not just experienced. Over time, those qualities compound into real competitive advantage.
Stefanie: And don’t underestimate the power of culture. The best teams today aren’t just reacting to change. They are really shaping it. If you create an environment that values learning and experimentation, your team will be able to thrive.
Building future-proof marketing teams is not just about predicting the next big trend. It is really about hiring people who can adapt to whatever comes next and helping them grow along the way.
With Talent Search, we help organizations identify and hire marketers who don’t just fit the role but elevate the team around them.
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Amélie Gosseye
Marketing Consultant