HR roles are among the fastest growing C-Suite positions

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A new study reveals that two HR roles are among the C-Suite roles which have the biggest growth in share of hires.  

New data released by LinkedIn shows that Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Chief People Officer (CPO) are some of the fastest growing roles in the C-Suite.

This has been attributed to the impact of the pandemic and the growing need for companies to navigate the crisis whilst planning for the future of work.

Notably, the role of Chief Human Resources Officer topped the list, with the share of hires growing by over half in the last year (56 per cent).

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The CHRO has been responsible for guiding their organisation through the pandemic, working through the intricacies of the furlough scheme and, now, defining the future of work policies and processes.

Demand for Chief People Officers have also risen substantially over the last year, rising by 45 per cent.

This position has been at the heart of this organisational change advising on people, culture and workplace strategies. It has also advised on health and wellbeing which has become a growing concern during the pandemic, both from a physical but also mental standpoint.

Other fastest-growing roles included Chief Revenue Officers, Chief Communications Officers, Chief Compliance Officers and Chief Marketing Officers.

This comes as recent CIPD research found that senior roles within HR such as HR manager and director roles have also increased by over half (57 per cent) since 2009.

Becky Schnauffer, Senior Director at LinkedIn, stated:

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.


*LinkedIn identified the fastest growing C-suite job titles by analysing over 45,000 C-suite hires in the UK as listed on LinkedIn profiles in the past two years.

Monica Sharma is an English Literature graduate from the University of Warwick. As Editor for HRreview, her particular interests in HR include issues concerning diversity, employment law and wellbeing in the workplace. Alongside this, she has written for student publications in both England and Canada. Monica has also presented her academic work concerning the relationship between legal systems, sexual harassment and racism at a university conference at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

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