Chief Communicators’ Soft Skills Suit a Bigger Role
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CEO Expectations of the CCO

Chief Communicators’ Soft Skills Suit a Bigger Role

29 October 2024 / Report

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Chief communications officers (CCOs) provide counsel on virtually every issue companies face, working across the organization and with various constituencies. This is a valuable qualification for a bigger role—including as CEO in comms-focused companies, if complemented by financial and operational experience.

This article discusses CCOs’ CEO-relevant skills, ambitions, and current job market trends based on insights from interviews with CCOs, CEOs, and executive recruiters; a roundtable and survey with CCOs; and third-party sources.

This article is part of a series of insight articles on the CCO role

Chief communications officers (CCOs) provide counsel on virtually every issue companies face, working across the organization and with various constituencies. This is a valuable qualification for a bigger role—including as CEO in comms-focused companies, if complemented by financial and operational experience.

This article discusses CCOs’ CEO-relevant skills, ambitions, and current job market trends based on insights from interviews with CCOs, CEOs, and executive recruiters; a roundtable and survey with CCOs; and third-party sources.

This article is part of a series of insight articles on the CCO role

Author

Denise Dahlhoff, PhD

Denise Dahlhoff, PhD Denise Dahlhoff, PhD

Director, Marketing & Communications Research
The Conference Board

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