Have you heard of a CEO? But what about a CIO, CMO, CCO, or CAO? There is more than a dozen of such positions in private companies, which are collectively called CxOs.
Before we answer this, we need to know another term — corporate title. A corporate title or a business title is one that’s given to organisation and company officials to show what duties and responsibilities they have in companies like internet giants, small businesses, manufacturing companies, many non-profit organizations, educational institutions, sole proprietorships, and partnerships.
What is a CxO?
These titles are given to a company’s most important senior executives. The titles, usually starting with the letter C for “Chief” and ending with the letter O for “Officer” are grouped together as C-suite or C-level executives. And since, today, there are so many variations of the C-level titles, they’re collectively referred to as CxOs.
Which CxO Titles Are There?
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – The CEO is invariably the highest-level corporate executive in a company, thus serving as the face of the organisation. The CEO is responsible for corporate vision and strategy, creates annual plans, validates budgets and revenue, organisational growth and expansion plans.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – The CFO’s job is to control, report, and strategise finances for the company. They contribute to the overall organization strategy from a financial standpoint and work closely with CEOs to source new business opportunities while weighing the financial benefits and risks involved in each venture.
Chief Operating Officer (COO) – Usually second-in-command to the CEO, the COO is a C-level HR executive of the company. Their job is to ensure that the company’s day-to-day operations run as smoothly as possible. They usually oversee recruitment, training, payroll, legal, administrative services, customer segmentation, and production effectiveness.
Chief Information Officer (CIO) – The CIO is responsible for all the information and data related to the organisation.
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – A CTO is often confused with a CIO even though they have rather distinct jobs. Unlike a CIO, a CTO’s job is to adopt and manage technologies in a company.
Which CxO Titles Are There?
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) – Responsible for marketing, including sales management, product development, distribution channel management, marketing communications, pricing, market research, and customer service.
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) – Responsible for all aspects of human resource management and industrial relations.
Chief Sales Officer (CSO) – Responsible for sales.
Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) – Responsible for overseeing all accounting and bookkeeping functions, ensuring that financial statements, ledger accounts, and cost control systems are operating effectively.
Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO) – Responsible for managing intellectual capital and knowledge management.
Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) – Responsible for innovation.
Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) – Responsible for environmental/sustainability programs.
Chief Legal Officer (CLO) – Responsible for overseeing and identifying legal issues in all departments and their interrelation.
Chief Security Officer (CSO) – Responsible for security, including physical security, network security, and many other kinds.
Chief Analytics Officer (CAO) – Responsible for data analysis and interpretation.