TRENDS THEY DO WHAT? Real roles, really confusing job titles, explained
04 / CHIEF ENABLEMENT OFFICER The proportion of British firms allowing employees to use their own tech for work purposes reached 45 per cent last year – a figure that’s likely to keep rising. With fewer and fewer people locked into a single workplace system, the IT chief’s role will develop rapidly. It will increasingly be about “enabling” independently configured tech-savvy workers by simplifying their processes of communication and collaboration without compromising data security.
Jolly good fellow Google’s version of the wellbeing-focused role of chief happiness officer, which at McDonald’s is held (if we’re to believe his LinkedIn profile) by Ronald himself.
Ambassador of buzz Seen at companies including US hi-tech firm Grasshopper. The job-holder is responsible for
drumming up feverish interest in a brand, principally by creating social media posts with viral potential.
Identity architect A BBC post for which the job description – “this role is
empowered to identify the strategic decision required, define the delivery roadmap and drive projects… across the BBC” – was as opaque as the name.
Independent supplier A jazzed-up job title for Deliveroo’s Lycra- clad takeaway couriers, drawing accusations that the company was
Meme librarian The employee at Tumblr who studiously researches online trends in order to understand
digital communities. Described as “the best job on the internet”.
Paranoid-in-chief The seemingly fearful grand fromage of cyber security at Yahoo, who oversees a team of other healthily suspicious hacker- foiling “paranoids”.
Sound design director For instance, the app developer who creates the “pop” heard when notifications arrive on users’ phones – making train journeys more irritating since 2013.
12
director.co.uk
“creating vocabulary” to avoid recognising them as employees.
Innovation sherpa Once an official role at a global tech giant. Presumably, the job- holder did most of the work without taking much credit, just like their namesake Nepali mountain guides.
05 / CHIEF OF JOY As more companies come to appreciate the importance of employees’ physical and mental health to productivity, we’re likely to see a rise in the number of board jobs relating to wellbeing. Forget chief happiness oficer, though – the popularity of influencers such as tidiness guru Marie Kondo has shown there’s an argument that employers need to go the extra mile and “spark joy” in their workforces. US bank SunTrust has added a further element to this field of responsibility by creating a senior role with responsibility for workers’ financial wellbeing.
06 / CHIEF OF
SCENARIO PLANNING The recent upsurge in sociopolitical and economic volatility around the world, from trade wars to the climate crisis, is likely to fuel demand for senior roles focused on trend analysis and forecasting. Smart CSPs won’t need to be soothsayers offering a single, guaranteed prediction. Instead, they will logically narrow down the future into the most likely outcomes to enable the board to identify strategies that will work in all probable scenarios.
07 / CHIEF
TRENDING OFFICER The CTrO will keep their board colleagues abreast of small but important shifts in public
Boardroom clear-out: could the influence of Marie Kondo, author of Spark Joy: An illustrated guide to the Japanese art of tidying, change the look of the C-suite in future?
09 / CHIEF ECO- FOOTPRINT OFFICER As public concern about climate change grows and new environmental protection laws make increasing demands on business, governments are likely to impose ever-tougher penalties for non-compliance. Sustainability will gain a stronger voice in the boardroom through the CEFO, who’ll monitor and align cross-departmental activities. Their team will model the ecological impact of all aspects of the venture – from business travel to a new building’s ability to attract bees – as a standard due-diligence procedure.
opinion on all manner of issues. Their complex network of sources will range from early adopters and influencers on social media to streaming stats and even internet memes.
08 / CHIEF OF SOCIAL CREDIT If more countries follow China’s lead in developing a “social credit” system to assess the behaviour of organisations and citizens, multinationals may need to address this issue at board level. It won’t be an easy role from an ethical standpoint. At its core, it will be about ensuring smooth operations and regulatory compliance, but it may also require scrutinising employees’ behaviour, both in and out of the workplace.
ALAMY, GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
