C-Suite Titles to Proliferate

Large corporations have added more jobs to the C-suite, with titles such as chief sustainability officer, chief revenue officer, and chief investment officer. Even a few quirky ones have surfaced, like chief beer officer and chief luxury officer, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Leaders of some small and midsize businesses have long gone by nontraditional "chief" titles. Among them is Robert Stephens, founder of Geek Squad, a 24-hour technology-services provider, who calls himself chief inspector. "Geek Squad fundamentally sees itself different from anyone else in its industry," Stephens, whose company was acquired by Best Buy Co. in 2002, told the WSJ. Lower-level titles include counter-intelligence agent, double agent, and public defender.

Recruiters say some large corporations are following suit, but the new chief titles aren't meant to signify creativity or originality. Rather, they often reflect changes in the marketplace or the way companies do business. In other cases, the titles serve merely as a recruiting tool and do not reflect a new kind of position with higher pay. Companies are adding them to tap into the egos of job hunters seeking to elevate their corporate status, they say.

Starting in 2006, Trina Gordon, chairman of Boyden World Corp., says the executive-search company began seeing job orders for chief security officers. "They are responsible for keeping all information systems and data secure from terrorism and corporate theft," Gordon told WSJ. The New York-based company completed six searches of this kind for the first time in 2007 and will likely work on double as many in 2008, she says. Chief-security-officer jobs require a minimum of 10 years of experience in relevant industries, such as technology and defense. Salaries start at about $300,000 in total annual compensation at large corporations, she says.

Another new position is chief learning officer and its counterparts, chief knowledge officer and chief training and development officer, says Bill Yacullo, global chairman of EMA Partners International, a Westchester, Ill.-based search company. These leaders are responsible for overseeing all employee training and succession-planning programs. Yacullo completed two chief-learning-officer searches for the first time in 2007, and he has seen the title on résumés since 2005, he says. More employers are adding the position as part of their efforts to retain and groom top talent. This is particularly important as the market thins with baby boomers on the verge of retirement, Yacullo says. Ideal candidates will have at least 15 years of experience in related roles at several companies and a graduate degree in education or human resources, he says, adding that the job typically pays $150,000 to $200,000 in base salary, plus bonuses.