The role of the CEO has evolved dramatically recently. Once “the loneliest job in business”, PwC writes “the C-suite has significantly grown in size and changed in composition”.

This has had a major impact on the role of the modern CEO, both as a leader within an organisation and as an individual. Now the modern CEO faces more accountability, less autonomy, with more social responsibility, including operating with ethics, transparency and honesty.

The COO is a critical front-line leader who essentially keeps the organisation running.

In addition to overseeing the operations of the business, the COO may also be a core member of the management board, providing valuable strategic and tactical influence across the entire organisation.

Like many in the C-Suite, CFOs have found their roles evolved significantly. What was once a transactional and finance-driven function has become a strategic, commercial and future-oriented operation.

Modern financial officers are proposing and shaping business models, and forward-thinking about the possibilities that major disruptions, digital advances and market forces are presenting.

The modern technology officer is no longer purely technology focused, but now a visionary leader who constantly sharpens the saw on the value created by the function, adapts swiftly to market dynamics, and rallies the engagement of a wide range of stakeholders.

Increasingly, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) are on a direct path to become the future CEOs. This is because customer centricity has become a central focus across all industries.

The rapidly changing commercial and technological environment requires organisations to adapt and pivot quickly to the challenges of accessing and engaging future customers. It will be the CMO who rallies support, changes minds, and develops the culture to harness the power of customers that sustain organisations.

Whilst the role of Human Resources has been evolving over the years from transactional to support function, recent trends and the age of COVID has further accelerated its influence as a key commercial partner and contributor to corporate strategy.

Today’s CHROs are commercially savvy  strategic advisors that not only provide technical firepower that drives people performance (the day-to-day), but also valuable insights into how people will engage in the future.

A multitude of mega trends and major changes to customer expectations over the past 20 years have shaped the role and influence of the modern supply chain function.

From essentially supporting sales and production and ensuring delivery, modern supply chains are changing the way they operate given customer service expectations, technological developments, social responsibility initiatives, global risk  events, supply shortages, security threats etc.

The role of the in-house counsel has progressively changed over the years. From being mainly an expert in law, they now must balance day-to-day and upcoming risks with progressive corporate activity that can give an organisation the edge – particularly given the speed of change. Hence, modern in-house counsels are more strategic, commercial, forward-thinking, and partnership focused than ever before.

Chief Audit Executives and Chief Risk Officers are the frontline leaders taking on the next generation of challenges, disruptions and risks facing organisations. The risk landscape has become increasingly difficult and complex. Organisations require assurance capability that is progressive, pragmatic, commercial, and enterprise-wide that assists them to navigate through it all. It’s no longer about policing and compliance. It’s about future proofing and future readying the organisation. This is the mandate of the modern assurance executive.

Traditional sales methods and channels continue to change, and hence sales practices much always be on the agenda of organisations given particularly the slew of challenges, turbulence, and ambiguity in the modern world. The impact of COVID has exposed the complacency of organisations and highlighted the need to be forward-thinking and adaptive to changing customer needs. It is the modern Chief Sales Officers who is best placed to anticipate and find pathways to guide organisations that ultimately turn challenges into opportunities.