Chief communications officers (CCOs) are getting a moment as top executives lean on them for navigating crises, aligning workforce and endorsing and shielding the business or manufacturer.
Why it issues: You will find no 1 route to turning out to be a CCO — but the expertise are in higher need and are conveniently transferrable.
By the numbers: Of the Fortune 100 CCOs, roughly 62% were being promoted from within and 10% are lifers who have been with the firm through their full career.
- 43% of CCOs commenced in the corporate entire world, followed by politics and authorities (24%), PR agencies (17%) and journalism (8%).
Indeed, but: While CCOs appear from assorted career backgrounds, they them selves are not notably assorted, in accordance to Bureau of Labor Figures facts gathered by Zippia.
Zoom in: Woman illustration has enhanced about a person proportion level for every yr — from about 30% in 2011 to 40% in 2021.
- Three-quarters of CCOs are white, even though 9% are Hispanic/Latino, 6% are Black/African American, 5% are Asian and fewer than 1% establish as American Indian and Alaska Indigenous.
- The regular age is 42 many years old, with 55% slipping in the 40+ age range, 33% in their 30s and about 12% in their 20s.
What they’re stating: The job of communicators is frequently misunderstood. According to Microsoft CCO Frank Shaw, communicators are accountable for talking out, convening and then negotiating for the proper consequence.
- “Our work is to seem broadly across the industries we are in and offer a unified see so that we are not earning selections in a vacuum,” suggests Shaw.
- Yes, but: A few businesses within just the best 100 — Berkshire Hathaway, Tesla and Business Solutions — nonetheless do not have a head of comms.
What we are observing: Chief communicators might capitalize on this second and soar into the CEO pipeline — which is usually reserved for heads of operations or finance.
- Communicators can also seize the instant to snag a spot in the boardroom. Only 16 CCOs presently sit on Fortune 500 boards, according to Spencer Stuart study.
The base line: Communications is now arguably the most crucial ability for any chief of any organization, huge or small … and heads of comms are as important as the COO or CFO, Axios CEO Jim VandeHei writes.
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