What Does a Chief People Officer Do?
Exploring the CPO’s role and responsibilities at work.
Imagine an executive function that is responsible for developing a thriving work environment, nurtures talent, and aligns people and culture goals with overall organizational strategy: that’s a Chief People Officer, or CPO.
A Chief People Officer plays a central role in how culture takes shape across an organization. They ensure that decisions around talent, organizational structure and development are fully integrated with the company’s broader goals. And rather than treating culture as a separate initiative, CPOs infuse it into a company’s everyday operations, through leadership expectations, employee programs, team-building exercises, and long-term planning.
More and more companies are introducing this role to their leadership structure, too, and it’s becoming increasingly more important as organizations continue to trend toward prioritizing retention and engagement as key indicators of organizational success.
What’s so special about a CPO?
The role of a CPO intentionally differs from a Chief Human Resources Officer, or CHRO. A CHRO tends to focus more on the operational aspects of HR functions like policies, compliance, and day-to-day process.
A CPO’s scope, however, covers everything from talent acquisition to employee experience development, learning and development, and leadership collaboration. To succeed in this role, CPOs must perform with a high level of emotional intelligence, as well as strong interpersonal and communication skills.
A VP of People or Head of People — another typical C-Suite role — often supports a CPO in implementing a people strategy, but it’s the Chief People Officer that operates at a more strategic level. With a direct line to the CEO (and with access to the board, if there is a board), the CPO is positioned to directly influence decisions around talent strategy, learning, and organizational culture, and their presence signals a long-term, organization-wide commitment to investing in people.
What are a CPO’s core responsibilities?
At its core, the CPO role is about seeing clearly. They need to know what’s happening inside the organization today, as well as what’s coming next.
Great CPOs blend insight with foresight, using data and context to shape decisions that support both immediate needs and long-term goals. What’s more, they stay close to the pulse of internal dynamics while keeping an eye on broader landscape shifts, helping their teams navigate change with confidence.
In practice, that means CPOs:
Shape people strategy: CPOs are responsible for aligning talent plans with business objectives. This means they’ll advocate for L&D initiatives and goals at the executive level.
Drive organizational values and culture: Because they serve at the executive level, CPOs will take charge of stewarding purpose, values, and workplace culture.
Oversee talent development and succession planning: This ensures future leaders are identified and developed.
Enhance employee experience and retention: They do this by focusing on engagement, performance, and well-being.
They champion DEI: The best CPOs will embed equity and belonging into every stage of the employee lifecycle, and lead the charge on building trust and creating psychologically safe workspaces.
Lead workforce planning and change management: This includes navigating shifts in structure, growth, and market conditions.
Together, these responsibilities position the CPO as both a strategic guide and cultural architect. It’s on them to shape how it feels to work somewhere.
How does a CPO support L&D Managers?
L&D Managers and CPOs make a powerful team. While L&D drives the design and delivery of growth programs, the CPO ensures those efforts are tied to the big picture, including organization strategy, culture, and executive buy-in.
CPOs can also help to clear roadblocks. Need budget? A strategic nudge from the CPO goes a long way. Want to align development goals with business priorities? They’ve got the inside track. With a CPO’s support, L&D Managers gain the visibility and influence they need to make continuous learning a central part of how an organization grows.
Overall, when a CPO is in your corner, L&D Managers can understand and align individual initiatives with organizational direction, driving greater employee impact and building stronger, more resilient teams.
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