[Return to 2025 Program]

Abstract Details

Title: The Expansion of the C-Suite

Author(s) : John Keiser

Practically every major American corporation has a group of executives who have “Chief” in front of their titles, “Chief Executive Officer,” “Chief Financial Officer,” etc., and collectively, they compromise the “C-Suite.” Interestingly, these titles are relatively new to corporate America, establishing themselves only since 1960s. Since then, the number of C-titles has grown dramatically, as has the number of organizations adopting them. This research presents the results of 60 years of archival research from companies listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Average to document the growth of C-titles in corporate America, from the first “Chief Executive Officer” to the 70 different titles with “Chief” in their names.