Chief Operating Officer - COO

CEO, CFO, CMO, COO...there’s a real alphabet soup of the titles for the top brass in any medium to large size company. The CEO or Chief Executive Officer generally sets the strategic direction for the company while the Chief Operating Officer (COO) carries out these plans with the day-to-day operation of the business. The purchasing, human resources, manufacturing and distribution departments would all report to the COO, while marketing and sales might report to the Vice President of Sales or the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). The finance crowd would work for the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

A COO has a lot of responsibility to make things happen. He or she has to execute the company's business plan (hopefully they have one) and make sure the company goals are reached...like the number of units produced per day, the introduction of new products, inventory maintained at a certain level and the cost per unit of raw materials and finished goods reaching a target price.

A good CEO will choose a COO who perhaps has a skill set that the CEO lacks, so they complement each other on abilities and experience. The COO can be seen as the right-hand man (or woman) and might even be the heir apparent to become the next CEO. Usually the COO has at least 15 years of experience in their chosen field and has worked in a variety of functions within a company. It’s a very busy job with lots of responsibility, so it is not for the faint of heart.