CPO to CEO | Could you be your company's new chief exec?

A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has a myriad of responsibilities including driving profitability in an organisation, expanding the firm’s headcount and size, spearheading the overall direction of a business, driving the company towards strategic goals, and being the main point of contact between stakeholders, directors and the rest of the firm.

Without doubt, the CEO embodies what a company stands for at a given point in time – because of this, this role is often occupied by the founder of the firm, but this isn’t always the case.

Because of their unique set of responsibilities, it can be challenging for employers to find the perfect fit for the leader of their company. The common pathway of promotion is that a firm’s Chief Finance Officer (CFO) gets promoted to the CEO position, particularly because they have a deep understanding of the company’s finances and direction, and the steps they need to take to grow.

Recently, however, HR’s very own executive position, the Chief People Officer (CPO), has been at the top of the list of companies looking to find their new Chief Exec internally. How has the CPO position changed from being a nice-to-have HR representative, to being an appropriate option as the leader of a firm?