CFO, CIO, COO and Other Acronyms of High Positions + [Infographic]

When we speak of CFO, CIO, COO, and other acronyms we refer to the main senior positions of a company. Although Spanish speakers have different names for these jobs, acronyms from English are currently used. In this article, we will define what type of charges are and what function they have.

As you may know, one of the best-known acronyms in the business world is the CEO, who is the head of administrative management and direction. In this article, we do not forget to explain to you that he is the founder of a company. Due to its importance, we have dedicated an exclusive article to give you a clear idea of what a CEO is and what its functions are.

COO (Chief Operating Officer). The Director of Operations oversees how the company’s product creation and distribution system is working to make sure all systems are working well. Many times working as a COO serves as training for the CEO position: it is a natural step since the COO already understands the mission and objectives of the company and is the right hand of the CEO.

What does CMO mean? What is it in charge of?

CMO (Chief Marketing Officer). He is responsible for marketing activities, which include sales management, product development, advertising, market research, and customer service. His main concern is to maintain a stable relationship with the end customers and to communicate with all the other departments to get involved in Marketing activities.

What is a CFO?

CFO (Chief Financial Officer). Financial Director, is in charge of the economic and financial planning of the company. He is the one who decides the investment, financing, and risk to increase the value of the company for its owners (whether they are shareholders or partners). Provides financial and accounting knowledge and in general an analytical look at the business. In many cases, the CFO is also the strategic affairs advisor to the CEO.

What is a CISO?

The CISO profile is the executive responsible for the security of information and data of an organization. While in the past the role was defined rather narrowly in that sense, today this concept is often used interchangeably with that of the chief security officer and vice president of security, indicating a broader role in the organization.

What is a CIO? What is the responsible for?

CIO (Chief Information Officer). Responsible for the information technology systems of the company at the process level and from the planning point of view. The CIO analyzes what benefits the company can derive from new technologies, identify which ones interest the company the most, and evaluate its performance. It focuses on improving the efficiency of internal processes to ensure effective communication and keep the organization running efficiently and productively.

What is a CTO and what does it do?

CTO (Chief Technology Officer). Technical manager of the development and the correct operation of the information systems from the point of view of the execution. He is generally responsible for the engineering team and for implementing the technical strategy to improve the final product. Sometimes the positions of CTO and CIO can be confused since in some companies they share tasks.

The key difference is that a CIO focuses on information systems (communication workflow), intending to increase efficiency, while a CTO is responsible for the technology strategy aimed at improving the final product.

What is a CCO and what does it take care of?

CCO (Chief Communications Officer). He is in charge of managing corporate reputation, contacting the media, and developing Branding strategies. He knows the media and has a good relationship with them so that the brand is visible and, whenever possible, is related to positive messages. The CCO must play a relevant role in its communication management so that the corporate image is good or, in other words, that the opinion of potential clients is favorable. 

Management positions in new startups

More and more people are encouraged to undertake. Although many of the new tech startups are small, almost all of them have the positions that we have been discussing.

Share these acronyms and positions so that business improvement and transformation is a goal that any organization achieves.