All About the C-Suite: 17 Common C-Level Executive Positions

The “C-suite” refers to several corporate executive positions in a company with the word “chief” in the job title. Common roles in the C-suite include the chief executive officer (CEO), the chief financial officer (CFO), and the chief technology officer (CTO). C-suite positions are usually the highest corporate titles in a company, reporting only to other C-level executives and the board of directors or stakeholders.

Here are some top executive positions:

1. 1. Chief compliance officer: The chief compliance officer, or CCO, ensures that all of the company’s processes and employees are operating in line with the company’s predetermined policies and procedures.
2. 2. Chief data officer: The chief data officer, or CDO, is responsible for a company’s data science, running analytics, market research, and data processing software to further the company’s goals. This position is sometimes called the chief analytics officer, or CAO.
3. 3. Chief diversity officer: The chief diversity officer, or CDO, is responsible for diversity, equity, and inclusion in a company, ensuring that hiring and operations align with the best diversity practices.
4. 4. Chief executive officer: The chief executive officer, or CEO, oversees the entire business to ensure it stays on track and follows the brand’s central vision. Typically, the CEO is more responsible for public-facing liaisons and working with the board of directors (often referred to as “the face of the company”), leaving most of the day-to-day decision-making to the chief operating officer (COO). The CEO is usually the highest position in the company (reporting only to the board of directors or stakeholders), and all other senior executive positions report directly to the CEO, which is sometimes called the company president.
5. 5. Chief experience officer: The chief experience officer, or CXO, is a relatively new C-suite position responsible for designing and maintaining a positive experience for customers interacting with its products.
6. 6. Chief financial officer: The chief financial officer, or CFO, is the highest-level finance position in a company, responsible for the organization’s financial planning, risk management, financial services, recordkeeping, financial reports, and, often, data analysis. Also called the chief financial and operating officer (CFOO), a CFO’s primary goal is to help make decisions that increase revenue and ensure the company has a healthy cash flow and spends its capital well.
7. 7. Chief human resource officer: The chief human resources officer, or CHRO, is the highest-level position in a company’s human resources department, overseeing hiring, talent management, and HR compliance. This position is sometimes called (or combined with) the role of chief people officer, or CPO.
8. 8. Chief legal officer: The chief legal officer, or CLO, serves as general counsel for a company, keeping the C-suite roles informed of laws and ordinances and offering legal advice.
9. 9. Chief marketing officer: The chief marketing officer, or CMO, is the highest-level marketing position in a company, responsible for developing and executing the brand’s marketing campaigns and leading the marketing team. The CMO’s primary goal is to increase brand awareness and revenue.
10. 10. Chief information officer: The chief information officer, or CIO, is in charge of information technology and business processes and strategy related to technology. CIOs are responsible for integrating tech processes with the business’s strategy and vision.
11. 11. Chief technology innovation officer: The chief technology innovation officer, or CTIO, is responsible for keeping the company up-to-date and competitive with the rest of the industry, analyzing business and product trends to adapt to its customer base continually.
12. 12. Chief knowledge officer: The chief knowledge officer, or CKO, is responsible for a company’s knowledge management or identifying and preserving institutional knowledge across departments.
13. 13. Chief operating officer: The chief operating officer, or COO, is responsible for overseeing the operational functions of a business, which might include staffing, administration, and company strategy. A COO, sometimes called the executive vice president of operations or the “operations director,” is often the second in the chain of command after the CEO.
14. 14. Chief product officer: The chief product officer, or CPO, is responsible for the company’s product development teams, working closely with product management to design and test new products.
15. 15. Chief security officer: The chief security officer, or CSO, is in charge of the security measures of a company, ensuring that the company’s physical and digital information and data are safe and secure. This role is sometimes called the chief information security officer (CISO) or chief privacy officer (CPO).
16. 16. Chief sustainability officer: The chief sustainability officer, or CSO, is responsible for a company’s environmental initiatives and programs, trying to ensure that the company’s operations align with current environmental sustainability practices.
17. 17. Chief technology officer: A chief technology officer (CTO) is an executive role responsible for understanding and implementing a company’s technology and scientific needs to help meet business goals. As the company’s highest executive-level position for technology-related matters, the CTO holds a leadership role in both the technology or engineering departments and contributes to decision-making for a company’s research and development.

Most C-suite executives have several essential skills in common:

• Education: Most C-suite executive titles require that candidates have at least a bachelor’s degree in a field related to the position, whether business administration, IT, marketing, or beyond. However, more competitive organizations will look for candidates with additional education, an advanced degree, or special certification, like an MBA or Certified Public Accountant certificate.
• Experience: A C-suite title comes with a lot of responsibility, so C-suite members usually require at least 10 years of experience in related departments or business environments, with at least five years in a directly related leadership role. Potential employers will be especially interested in seeing the effects of the candidate’s efforts—for instance, if their time in the role increased revenue or decreased costs.
• Communication and leadership skills: Good C-level executives need to have excellent communication skills, leadership skills, and interpersonal skills, so they can effectively guide their departments, keep morale high, and explain high-level business strategies.
• Technical skills: C-level roles need to have a wide array of technical skills to guide others in their department to use their skills effectively.

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