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Stuart Gentle Publisher at Onrec

Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief People Officer among the fastest growing C-suite roles in the UK, says LinkedIn

New data from LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, reveals the top 10 fastest growing C-suite roles in the UK.

  • LinkedIn reveals the top 10 C-suite roles in the UK with the biggest growth in share of hires 
  • Leaders globally spent nearly 1.3 million hours tuning into LinkedIn Learning courses over the past 12 months, a 55% increase compared to the previous year
  • LinkedIn has made leadership soft skill learning courses available for free

New data from LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, reveals the top 10 fastest growing C-suite roles in the UK. 

Chief Human Resources Officer (#1) and Chief People Officer (#3) roles top the list having seen the biggest growth in share of hires out of all C-suite roles in the past year compared to the previous year, as companies hired executives to help navigate the global pandemic and envision the future of work. 

Becky Schnauffer, Senior Director at LinkedIn, said: “This list highlights how business priorities are changing and the C-suite leaders needed most to help companies adapt to and thrive in a new world of work. CHROs and Chief People Officers have demonstrated the highly strategic role they play in businesses over the past 19 months, and their impact has been clear. It’s positive to see them elevated to the top of this list as companies bolster hiring of these leaders to help their businesses introduce new ways of working, and transform culture and behaviours as they define what the future of work looks like.” 

The UK’s top 10 fastest growing C-suite roles: 

1. Chief Human Resources Officer - Responsible for developing and executing human resource strategy in relation to the overall business plan, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) share of hires grew by 56% over the past year. Working hand-in-glove with the CEO, CHROs guided their organisations through the pandemic, manoeuvring talent as many businesses were forced to adapt, and worked through the intricacies of the furlough scheme. Now they are playing a crucial role in defining their future of work policies and processes. 

2. Chief Revenue Officer - In charge of a company’s revenue streams and accountable for driving integration and alignment between all revenue-related functions, the Chief Revenue Officer helped businesses navigate the uncertainty of the pandemic and find new ways to drive profitability and growth. LinkedIn’s data highlights that demand for executives in this role increased by 48%. 

3. Chief People Officer - With many businesses rethinking what the future of work looks like, Chief People Officers are at the heart of this organisational change advising on people, culture and workplace strategies. Demand for Chief People Officers has risen by 45%, as companies have become more cognisant of the health and wellbeing of their employees.

4. Chief Communications Officer - Responsible for corporate reputation, building trust and everything an organisation communicates internally and externally to a myriad of stakeholders - including employees, shareholders, media, investors and industry bodies - Chief Communications Officer hires grew by 35% over the past year. 

5. Chief Growth Officer - Blending the expertise of marketing, sales, product development and finance, the Chief Growth Officer helps businesses achieve their strategic objectives. As companies consider new avenues to growth, Chief Growth Officer hires have increased by 33%. 

6. Chief Innovation Officer - Focused on managing the process of innovation in an organisation and working to originate new ideas, Chief Innovation Officer roles grew by 31%. 

7. Chief Product Officer - Chief Product Officer roles have increased by 29% as company’s focus on bolstering product strategy, developing new products and enhancing customer experience to stay ahead of the competition. 

8. Chief Sales Officer - Responsible for leading a company’s sales function to meet revenue and growth targets, Chief Sales Officer roles increased by 29%.

9. Chief Compliance Officer - Tasked with designing, implementing and monitoring compliance processes to ensure businesses are compliant with laws and regulations, Chief Compliance Officer roles grew by 28%. 

10. Chief Marketing Officer - Focused on building brands, creating awareness of products and services and delivering value to customers and clients, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) role grew by 22% over the past year. 

With people and businesses adapting to new ways of working due to COVID-19, LinkedIn noted a 55% increase in time spent by leaders taking LinkedIn Learning courses globally over the past 12 months, compared to the previous year. Leaders across the world tuned into 1.3 million hours of learning courses on topics such as building executive presence, resilience, critical thinking and coaching, to help improve their essential soft skills at a time when they needed them the most. 

Top 10 LinkedIn Learning courses taken by UK leaders over the past year - which are available for free until 30th November: