The Chief Communications Officer owns how a business communicates with the world — its reputation, messaging, and voice. Here is what the role involves.
What the role owns
A Chief Communications Officer (CCO) owns how a business communicates — its external communications (media, public relations, public affairs), often internal communications, its messaging and narrative, and the management of its reputation. The role ensures the organisation speaks clearly and consistently, tells its story well, and protects and builds its standing with the public, media, employees, and stakeholders. Communications is how a business is understood, and the CCO owns it.
Reputation and trust
At its heart, the role is about reputation and trust — how the business is perceived, and the trust it holds with its audiences. In an era where reputation is fragile and public scrutiny intense, protecting and building it is a genuinely strategic responsibility. Strong communications leaders help a business earn and keep trust, and manage the reputational risks that can do real damage. This reputational dimension has elevated the role toward the heart of leadership.
Crisis and issues
A crucial and growing part of the role is managing communications through crises and public issues — when something goes wrong, or the business faces a contentious issue, how it communicates can determine the outcome. Strong CCOs bring calm judgement and skill to these high-stakes moments, protecting the business's reputation when it is most at risk. This crisis and issues capability is often where the role proves most valuable, and it demands experience and steadiness.
What it means for hiring
A strong CCO combines communications craft with strategic judgement, the standing to advise leadership, and steadiness under pressure. Define whether the priority is reputation-building, media and PR, public affairs, or crisis capability, and a retained search can match a communications leader to the business's needs.
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We recruit Chief Communications Officers and senior communications and PR leaders across consumer businesses.
Explore Executive Search →Frequently asked questions
What does a Chief Communications Officer do?
They lead a business's communications — external and often internal messaging, media and public relations, reputation management, and increasingly crisis and public-issues communications — protecting and building the organisation's reputation and ensuring it communicates clearly.
Why has the Chief Communications Officer role become more strategic?
Because reputation and public trust have become more consequential and fragile, and public scrutiny more intense — making protecting and building reputation, and managing crises and issues, a genuinely strategic responsibility near the heart of leadership.
Related: What Does a CMO Do? · Leading Through a Crisis · What Does a Chief Brand Officer Do?
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