By Admin 
These days, a new post is quietly making its place in the corporate world – Chief Purpose Officer (CPO). This name may seem a bit strange, but big companies of the world are taking it seriously. Companies like Ubisoft, Virgin Atlantic, Cisco, Sephora and KPMG have already taken such positions. What is this position, do companies really need it and how will you become a CPO…
Is this ‘Chief Purpose Officer’?
Many companies raise big slogans – ‘We will change the world’, ‘Our aim is not just to make money’ or ‘We want to do something for the society’. But what happens to these slogans in real life? Employees often find all these things superficial and false. The daily work in the office goes on the same way – targets, profits and quarterly results.
This is where the Chief Purpose Officer comes in handy. The work of this post is very easy in theory, but very difficult in practice. The CPO works to keep the company’s big promises and its actual decisions in sync with each other. He sees to it that the company is not forgetting its stated objective just for the sake of earning profits.
CPO works between the company’s strategy, culture and ethics. This is what his work looks like in real life:
- Asking Difficult Questions in Leadership Meetings: When the big boss is sitting and taking a decision, the CPO stands there and asks, ‘Does this decision really match our long-term objective, are we not breaking our values in the pursuit of profit or are we really creating any value for the society.’
- Changing Joining and Rewards Pattern: Some CPOs change the hiring and salary-bonus system in such a way that employees are rewarded not only for meeting targets but also for working as per the company’s objectives.
- Turning slogans into reality: The company gives big speeches that it wants to do something for the society, but the CPO sees whether these things become a part of the daily work of the office or not.
After all, why did companies need a CPO?
In olden times, the biggest focus of companies was on making the shareholders happy, but now the world has changed. In this era of AI, economic changes and constantly changing scenarios, people have started expecting more than just profits from companies.
In 2019, America’s Business Roundtable made a big statement that the purpose of companies should not be just for shareholders, but for all stakeholders. After this, the pressure on companies to talk about ‘purpose’ increased.
How is the condition of CPO in India?
The story of CPO in India is quite interesting. In October 2017, Roche Pharma India appointed Lara Yumi Tsuji Bezerra as India’s first Chief Purpose Officer. This was the first time that a company in India created this designation. The biggest problem of the company was the management process divided into different departments. Every department only cared about its own KPIs, not anyone else’s. When Lara was brought into the company, the first thing she asked was, ‘What should I do first?’ Got the answer: ‘Create a new shared aspiration.’
What education and experience is required to become a CPO?
- Graduation in any subject is necessary. But subjects like Business, Management, Social Sciences, Public Policy or Sustainability are more useful.
- Preference is given to Masters Degree MBA, Masters in Public Administration, Sustainability or Social Innovation.
At least 5 years of leadership experience is required. Whether it’s non-profit, for-profit, government or philanthropy growth, business development, - Experience in strategic planning or fundraising is necessary.
CPO jobs aren’t posted directly online, so the path to finding one is a little different:
- Executive Search Firms (Headhunters): Big companies employ special headhunting agencies to find CPOs.
- Networking on LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the largest platform for top leadership positions.
- Promotion from within the company: Like Lara was first the Managing Director in Roche India, then she was made CPO.
- CEO and Board approval: The CPO must report directly to the CEO and participate in strategic meetings only then can he or she actually get something done.
How much salary does a CPO get?
According to the American website ZipRecruiter, by June 2026, the average annual salary of a Chief Purpose Officer in America is $ 166,511 (about Rs 1.4 crore). However, this figure may go up or down depending on the company and experience.
Well, CPO is a fairly new post, so there is not much data available regarding its salary. But this is an important position in the C-suite (top positions like CEO, CFO, COO), hence the salary is also given accordingly.