01 Jun 12 Chief Financial Officer Job Descriptions

Against this background, the chief strategy officer (CSO) - a particularly 21st century role - cuts a curious figure. Certainly the CSO is a respected figure - General Motors has one, as do Sun, Cadbury and Morgan Stanley - but it is less clear what the CSO actually does. An article that appeared in the McKinsey quarterly this May concluded that the job was poorly defined. But essentially three roles are possible: the CSO may be responsible for the generation, the facilitation or the execution of strategy.