What is a Chief Impact Officer?

You might be familiar with the “Chief Impact Officer” job title from news stories, like when Prince Harry assumed the role for the mental health and coaching company BetterUp, for example. But you don’t have to be a celebrity to be a chief impact officer. As C-suites continue to evolve, there will be more demand for this role as companies start to fine-tune their environmental, social and governance (ESG) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies and ensure there is a clear owner for them within the organization and externally, rather than leaving this work to HR, marketing or another C-suite title like the chief operations officer. 

While the title has mostly been seen for nonprofits so far, we expect other companies to join in as they realize the importance of clear leadership and messaging in this area. As a new role, the definition of what a chief impact officer does is still in flux, but ideally the role should provide clear ownership for these critical initiatives, an understanding of how they connect to the company’s purpose, and a public face for championing their implementation as well as holding themselves and the company accountable on measurable performance goals.

A chief impact officer’s role might include:

• Ownership of the strategy around ESG and DEI 

• Ensuring the strategy is actioned by all departments across the organization

• Championing internal and external initiatives, including communicating their connection to the company’s purpose

• Tracking performance toward key goals using qualitative and quantitative metrics 

The ideal candidates for these roles would be purpose-driven, deeply committed to ESG and DEI principles and leading by example, and excellent communicators who can build internal consensus, get buy-in for these important initiatives, and clearly articulate the connection to purpose in every scenario from 1:1 conversations to board meetings to media and conference appearances. 

Does your organization have a chief impact officer, does another person serve in this role unofficially or do your departments act independently of one another on ESG and DEI initiatives? At InclusiCheck, we regularly work with individuals who unofficially serve in this role to assist them in reviewing their external marketing plans and internal diversity initiatives. Learn more about our process.