Who's Who? Power Roles in the C-Suite, Explained

CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, CRO, CTO... the C-suite can sound like alphabet soup. But each "chief" has a clear job, and once you know them, you understand how any company is run. Including yours.

The core trio

• CEO (Chief Executive Officer): sets the vision and strategy, makes the biggest decisions and reports to the board or the owners.
• COO (Chief Operating Officer): turns strategy into day-to-day operations. Often the CEO's right hand.
• CFO (Chief Financial Officer): manages budgets, forecasts and cash flow, raises money and owns the financial reports.

The CEO picks the destination. The COO drives. The CFO pays for the trip.

The growth team

• CMO (Chief Marketing Officer): builds the brand, tells its story, runs ads, content and social media, and brings in leads.
• CRO (Chief Revenue Officer): owns all revenue: sales, marketing and customer success. The CRO gets every team chasing the same number. You'll see this role most at fast-growing and subscription companies.

The CMO gets people interested. The CRO turns that interest into revenue.

Tech and data

• CTO (Chief Technology Officer): builds the product's technology and leads engineering.
• CIO (Chief Information Officer): runs the company's internal systems and IT.
• CISO (Chief Information Security Officer): protects data and systems from cyber threats.
• CDO (Chief Data Officer): turns the company's data into decisions.
• CPO (Chief Product Officer): decides what gets built and why.

Heads up: CPO can also mean Chief People Officer, and CCO can mean Chief Compliance Officer or Chief Customer Officer. Titles vary by company.

People and protection

• CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer, or Chief People Officer): hiring, culture, pay and benefits.
• CLO (Chief Legal Officer or General Counsel): contracts, lawsuits and legal risk.
• CCO (Chief Compliance Officer): makes sure the company follows the rules.
• CSO (Chief Strategy Officer): plans long-term growth with the CEO.

You already play some of these roles

You don't need a fancy title to use this. These roles show up in everyday life too:

• CFO of your money: budgeting your paycheck, paying down debt and saving for goals.
• COO of your household: keeping bills, schedules and routines running.
• CMO of your personal brand: how you show up on a resume, on LinkedIn or in an interview.
• CRO of your career: negotiating a raise or making the case for your ideas.

At work, knowing who does what helps you understand decisions, pitch to the right person and see where your own role could grow. And if you run a business or side hustle, you may be wearing every one of these hats at once. Start with your money, your story and your sales.

The takeaway

Every company, from a Fortune 500 to a one-person side hustle, needs someone setting direction, running operations, managing money and bringing in revenue. And so does your own life. Know which role you're playing today.

Follow @press4please for more simple money and business lessons.

Titles and responsibilities vary by company size and industry. This article is for general information only.