CCOs Hit $1M Salaries — Still No AI Strategy
FrequencyFebruary 16, 202600:05:38

CCOs Hit $1M Salaries — Still No AI Strategy

Chief Communication Officers are having their moment. Korn Ferry's latest data shows median CCO compensation reaching $900K–$1M, with nearly half now earning seven figures. More than half sit on executive committees, budgets are climbing past $5 million, and direct CEO reporting lines have increased 70% since 2023. By every C-suite metric, communications has arrived.

But the uncomfortable truth: one-third of these highly paid strategic leaders still haven't defined their AI-driven communications approach. Internal comms acumen is the second most desired trait when hiring a CCO, yet internal comms still plays second fiddle to corp comms and media relations in actual focus. Jenni and Chuck challenge the idea that a seat at the table automatically equals influence — and ask whether the gap between what leaders say about internal audiences and what they actually fund is getting harder to ignore.

https://www.kornferry.com/about-us/press/korn-ferry-survey-reveals-chief-communications-officers-rising-influence-and-compensation-in-2025