Tess Harris made the call after the CIM's annual general meeting, where she talked about marketing's role of value creation in business.
"Marketing professionalism matters more now than ever and business leaders need to know that the marketers they employ have the right mix of skills to do their jobs -- chartered marketer status will indicate this," she said.
She told members of the institute that a new benefits package would be introduced for members in April, giving them the chance to improve their qualifications further and better networking opportunities.
Dianne Thompson, chief executive of Camelot, backed Harris' call for marketers to be more central to business decision making. She said: "It is only the marketers within the company that have a true perspective of their business environment -- with a view of external and internal stakeholders."
Harris is managing partner of Elektra Associates, which she founded in 1995. She started her marketing career in Unilever before leaving to launch Origins, a range of natural skin products, which she later sold to Estee Lauder.
In 2001, she was admitted to the Livery of the Worshipful Company of Marketers.
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