What is C suite? What are the most common C suite roles?

Mondo Workplace Updated on 2024-01-30

The C-suite is the group of executives responsible for running an organization.

Top managementConsists of all the executives who run a particular organization. The composition of each C-suite is unique: while most organizations have a CEO and CFO, other roles depend on the company's business model and operations. For example, public-facing tech businesses are more likely to have a chief technology officer (CTO), while a company that relies heavily on sales may have a chief revenue officer or growth officer.

The popularity of some executive positions has also waxed and waned: in 2000, 48% of Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies had a chief operating officer; By 2018, that number had dropped to 32%.

ceo:You already know what a CEO is. It's the toughest job in business. While CEOs are helped by other executives and employees across the organization, they alone are ultimately responsible for the fate of the company. With the industry changing at an unprecedented rate, the CEO's job is tougher and more arduous than ever. Not everyone succeeds: only three-fifths of new CEOs meet performance expectations within their first 18 months on the job.

cfo:For many years, the CFO simply managed the company's finances. But the role has expanded dramatically. Today, the CFO is the CEO's primary partner in creating value. Communication is a critical part of the modern CFO role, including engagement with investors and the board, as well as with senior executive colleagues and business unit leaders. CFOs are also responsible for managing risk in cash, physical assets, credit, strategy, and more.

coo:COO stands for Chief Operating Officer. But it actually means different things for every company. Operations executives are typically responsible for how a company brings a product to market, as well as the organizational capabilities and teams needed to deliver it in the best possible way. The most effective COOs should be well-prepared to deal with the increasingly common disruption of unusual operations, and they should be adept at interacting with colleagues in the C-suite and board of directors, as well as with talent at the upper and lower echelons of the organization.

cto/cio :Technology is everywhere and is only going to get more ubiquitous. The pace of change is very fast, and in order to maintain an organization's technological competitiveness, two executive roles need to be assigned: CTO and CIO. What's the difference? In a nutshell, the main job of a CTO is to oversee an organization's external-facing technology, while the CIO is typically responsible for internal technology.

cmo:Yes, the CMO is responsible for marketing the company's products or services. But they won't be considered efficient unless their activities directly drive growth. To achieve this growth, CMOs need to invest heavily in partnerships with their senior colleagues. In particular, they need to learn Xi language used by finance and technology teams to convey the role of marketing in the larger value creation narrative.

Chief Transformation OfficerTransformation means change. But it's not just about quick fixes for errors in the process, or superficial bureaucratic adjustments: the transformation should mobilize the entire organization to fundamentally realign the way the organization operates and the way employees and executives work. To achieve this change and manage the turmoil that comes with it, organizations need a chief transformation officer.

chroChro is the Head of Human Resources. For a long time, the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) was responsible for managing the people of an organization, based on the three-pillar model pioneered by management coach Dave Ulrich in 1996. Recently, HR departments are no longer so static: HR is becoming the main engine driving change within an organization as more and more employees are managed differently with requirements. As a result, Chr's role looks very different than before.

Related Pages