How is tech changing the C-suite?

AI, transformation and sustainability are driving changes to roles within the C-suite, according to a report by recruitment firm Robert Half. The study, entitled Towards the C-Suite 2035, found that the majority of leaders questioned believe that new specialist executive roles, such as chief AI officer (CAIO), chief technology transformation (CTTO) and chief sustainability officer (CSO), will become increasingly important over the next decade.

These emerging roles are designed to help organizations remain competitive, notes Nimmi Patel, associate director for policy at techUK. “Eighty-three percent of UK businesses expect the CAIO to become a critical leadership position within the next decade, reflecting the growing need for governance, risk management and ethical frameworks around AI deployment.

“Similarly, 78% of organizations anticipate increased demand for CTTOs, underscoring the strategic importance of large-scale digital change programs, while 73% believe the CSO plays a greater role as ESG pressures intensify,” she says. The survey also revealed that traditional leadership positions – such as HR – are expected to gain importance to deliver workforce transformation.

Mark Moccia, VP, research director for technology executives at Forrester Research, notes that with this focus on AI, transformation and sustainability comes a change in power dynamics within the C-suite. Traditional positions, such as CTO and CIO, will gain prominence alongside emerging roles, he believes.

“There are organizations where CIOs are expected to take on more of the leadership, because technology is becoming ever more central to the business, making a CIO more of a strategic advisor to the CEO that they’ve ever been.

“Then there are organizations choosing to have CAIO and/or chief data officers (CDO) who are responsible for AI deployment and integrating it into core systems. These roles are shifting the power dynamic away from the CIO. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over time.”

Critical C-suite skills

Whether an existing role is evolving or a new one is created, Robert Half identified a range of skills the C-suite leaders of today, and tomorrow, will need. Survey respondents cited resilience and critical thinking as the most important, followed closely by creativity, innovative capacity and emotional intelligence. Workforce transformation experience was also noted as essential for the next generation of executives.

“The skills aren't fundamentally different; there are some that will remain in demand for the foreseeable future and may never be replaced or eradicated. For example, the vast majority of leadership positions require an ability to inspire and motivate others,” notes Chris Lawton, Robert Half’s group managing director executive search.

“The more technical elements of these roles are where we see nuances evolving as the world of work changes. If we focus on CAIO and other data leadership roles specifically, the focus for these positions is to bring AI governance, model risks and regulatory fluency into the company. These goals will constantly move in alignment with global trends in AI development and regulation. However, the best CAIO professionals will also need to translate often complex systems into clear business narratives, layered on top of strategic thinking and transformational leadership. These specific attributes will likely never change for the role.”

Development pathway gaps

Even so, many businesses are concerned about their ability to secure the right talent for their C-suite. This is because leaders take time to develop and the pace of change in relation to AI and digital transformation far outstrips the speed at which senior executives are able to learn, says Lawton. Furthermore, current succession plans are also often too rigid to be able to adapt to fast-emerging or evolving roles, he notes.

“Our research revealed a number of capabilities that are difficult to source, though these are very sector and role agnostic. What does, however, appear to be more difficult to find are the right hybrids.

“For example, a combination of digital and people transformation experience, or data-driven and transformational type leadership styles are hard to come by as they haven’t historically been required in tandem from one role. Our study also revealed that 84% of businesses highlight AI knowledge as a key skill, but pairing that with communication, emotional intelligence and agile leadership is scarce.”

Succession planning

Patel adds that many companies report difficulties hiring for AI, data and automation roles and internal pipelines can remain thin because of limited training and inconsistent digital skills development across sectors. Succession planning needs to be addressed, but Lawton is seeing a number of different ways companies are attempting to create more effective development pathways.

“Some are implementing reverse-mentoring and continuous development schemes in order to best upskill the workforce and current or future leaders in conjunction with one another. Others are channeling investment into AI and digital specific training to prepare leaders for any eventuality.”

There are those, however, who question whether the new roles will become a permanent fixture in the C-suite, or merely interim roles to help businesses navigate the early stages of AI adoption.

Moccia believes that CTTO has staying power, because “whether it’s AI, quantum, or 6G, as there’s always going to be a need for some sort of transformation management,” but that AI will at some point become part of normal operations and the responsibility of the CIO, making the position of CAIO superfluous.

Either way, by 2035 we can expect to more commonly see a data-centric, AI-powered C-suite with deeper cross-disciplinary collaboration. A crucial component in developing successful leaders is to tailor development to the business, while allowing for the required flexibility needed in the current climate, Lawton notes.

The most important thing is remembering that the key part of any leader’s job is human-centric, says Moccia, as a great leader inspires, motivates, coaches and cultivates. In addition, the biggest mistake organizations make when modernizing their C-suite is treating digital transformation in isolation, adds Lawton.

“Technological change fails without parallel workforce transformation and upskilling, cultural shifts, and new operating models are essential for success. Equally, underinvesting in structured succession planning leaves boards exposed. Relying on ad-hoc development without a formal framework, data-driven readiness checks or a dedicated owner creates critical gaps as roles evolve rapidly,” he concludes.