CEO, COO, CMO, CFO, CIO, CTO, CCO and CDO

CEO, COO, CMO, CFO, CIO, CTO, CCO and CDO refer to a number of senior positions and managerial functions in a company.

Although these are abbreviations of terms in English, in many cases they refer to traditional positions whose descriptions already existed in the Spanish language. However, globalization and the expansion of remote work have made these terms become a standard in the business world..

What is CEO?

It is short for Chief Executive Officer and corresponds to the position of executive director of a company, or the highest ranking position within an organization.

Generally, it is a position occupied by the owner of the company or, failing that, by someone who represents their interests. In the latter case, the business owner is probably occupying the position of president or CEO (chairman).

Functions of the CEO of a company

The functions of a CEO are highly dependent on the size and needs of the organization. In startups and SMEs, the CEO can take on some essential tasks for the operation of the company, such as financial management or relationships with suppliers.

However, the larger the organization, the CEO's functions tend to be less technical and more strategic. In this case, an executive director is responsible for:

• Create or, failing that, ensure the mission, vision and business values.
• Make decisions about the long-term operation of the company.
• Be the ambassador or visible face of the organization to employees, business partners, customers and the media.
• Ensure compliance with the strategies and goals set.

See also:

• Difference between mission and vision.
• Types of leadership.

What is COO?

They are the acronyms of Chief Operating Officer or director of operations. It is a position that requires full knowledge of how the company works, since it is a direct link between the CEO and the leaders of each department. In addition, the COO can represent the CEO if necessary.

Functions of the COO of a company

Generally speaking, a director of operations is responsible for:

• Supervise all the phases of elaboration of a product or service.
• Define and implement the standards or protocols to follow for the efficient operation of the organization (production, administrative, communication protocols, etc.).
• Define the phases of the production process.
• Resource management.
• Financial control.

What is CMO?

It is short for Chief Marketing Officer or director of marketing who is the head of the marketing area of ​​the company. Its main objective is to rely on marketing and advertising strategies to generate greater income for the organization.

Functions of the CMO of a company

The Marketing Director is responsible for:

• Define sales objectives and monitor their fulfillment.
• Supervision of traditional and / or digital marketing strategies of the company.
• Analysis of trends, new niches and business opportunities.
• Strengthen ties with customers / end users.

What is CFO?

They are the acronyms of Chief Financial Officer, the head of the company's finances. In Spanish it would be the finance director.

Functions of the CFO of a company

The CFO is responsible for:

• Define the financial objectives of the company in the short, medium and long term.
• Analyze investment, savings or debt options.
• Define strategies to optimize the organization's resources.
• Implement measures to reduce costs without affecting productivity or efficiency.
• Report to the CEO and shareholders on the financial status of the company.

What is CIO?

It is the post of Chief Information Officer or chief information officer. In many Latin American organizations it is also known as IT Manager or IT manager and its main function is to ensure the operation of the company's technological resources..

Functions of the CIO of a company

An IT manager is in charge of:

• Manage all tangible and intangible technological resources of the organization (software, hardware, infrastructure, own developments and specialized human resources).
• Analyze and propose to the CFO technological resources or solutions that help improve the productivity of the company in terms of production or management.
• Monitor the maintenance of the IT infrastructure.
• Implement IT-based methodologies that help optimize processes.

What is CTO?

It is short for Chief Technology Officer or head of technology and it is a position of recent date, which has emerged in response to the high demand for specialized profiles in the technology area. In fact, in companies that do not have a CTO, their functions are executed by the IT manager leisure.

Functions of the CTO of a company

The Chief Technology Officer has among his responsibilities:

• Implement and supervise technological solutions that improve the flow of information in the company.
• Lead the engineering team of the IT department.
• Propose technology-focused solutions for different departments.

What is CCO?

It is short for Chief Communications Officer or communications director, who is responsible for the company's relations with the media.

Generally, this profile works closely with the director of marketing o CMO and CDO o responsible for digital communications. However, in small businesses, it is possible for a single person or department to group all three functions.

Functions of the CCO of a company

The person responsible for communications is responsible for:

• Implement the internal and external communications strategy of the company.
• Monitor the good use of the graphic identity of the company.
• Involve the company in events or activities that contribute to raising its visibility.
• Create and maintain links with the media.

What is CDO?

It refers to Chief Digital Officer or digital director, a specialized profile that has emerged from the need of organizations to have a presence in the digital world, especially in social networks.

In a small company, the CDO position is filled by the community manager, while in an SME it is probably the role of sofcial media manager.

Functions of a company's CDO

The digital director is responsible for:

• Supervise the community manager.
• Create or implement digital strategies aimed at increasing conversion (sales).
• Design or implement protocols for different scenarios in the digital world.
• Evaluate the news of the web or social networks to optimize the digital presence of the company.