Who are the C- suite executives and how have they evolved over the years : Infographic

The C-suite term is derived from the word ‘chief’, which precedes each executive titles within this rank that are present in the senior business leaders. The functions of the C-executives include collectively setting the company’s strategy and ensuring the day-to-day operations aligned with fulfilling the business’s strategic goals.

The four C- executive titles those are common in almost all big companies are-

1. Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– At the top is the  CEO, who is responsible for the success or failure of the organisation. The CEO oversees the entire operation at a high level by implementing existing plans and policies.
2. Chief Financial Officer (CFO)– The CFO is a near-universal position in the C-suite. The CFO oversees the financial functions like developing annual budgets, managing cash flow, and overseeing finance reporting and compliance of the company.
3. Chief Operating Officer (COO)– The COO is second in command to the CEO and might also sit on the board of directors along with the CEO. The COO is often responsible for the human resources function within an organisation as well.
4. Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)– The CMO oversees the organisation’s marketing strategy. This includes advertising, brand management, and market research.

With time and of course new business needs and focus area coming up, some new positions (C-executive titles) and have become widely accepted. Some examples can be –

1. Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – The C-suite includes a CIO and or a CTO. The CIO most commonly has oversight for the information systems that run the enterprise’s operations, as well as the technologies, such as websites and internet transactions that drive the business.

The CTO is usually the executive who manages research and development and oversees the development of technologies into products and services.

2. Chief Security Officer (CSO)– The CSO is tasked with ensuring data and systems security. It has arisen in response to the cyber-threats now faced by enterprises by the internet.

The C-suite varies from company to company. The variation reflects the varying sizes of companies, with larger companies often having more executive positions to distribute the correspondingly large workload.

3. Chief Medical Officer (CMO)– A healthcare company, for example, needs a chief medical officer and a company focused on developing cutting-edge products is justified in having a chief innovation officer.

There can be many other C-executive titles like Chief Internet Evangelist (CIE), Chief Internet of Things officer (Chief IOT officer), Chief People Officer (CPO) and Chief Customer Officer (CCO).

There are also positions that often don’t exist at many companies, or they often fade away with time when the work is folded into other positions.

Some of them are Chief Analytics Officer (CAO), Chief Data Officer (CDO), Chief Digital Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO), Chief Marketing Technologist (CMT) and Chief Privacy Officer (CPO).