{"id":459,"date":"2026-06-01T11:40:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T11:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=459"},"modified":"2026-06-01T11:40:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T11:40:07","slug":"the-hottest-job-below-ceo-comes-with-4-distinct-career-tracks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=459","title":{"rendered":"The hottest job below CEO comes with 4 distinct career tracks"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Consider recent examples: Dow Inc., Best Buy, and Asbury Automotive Group have all elevated chief operating officers to the top job in 2026. That preference is becoming even more pronounced. As companies seek to unify sprawling processes and sharpen execution (), operational expertise has emerged as a prized currency in the boardroom.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=457\">Mecka AI raises $60 million to train robots with human data sourced from body sensors and iPhones<\/a><\/p>\n<p>While the appeal of a COO successor is clear, the road to what\u2019s often considered the heir-apparent seat is anything but standardized. A tech company\u2019s operating chief may oversee product delivery and digital infrastructure. A manufacturer\u2019s COO may spend their days optimizing plants, logistics networks, and procurement operations.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Yet data from executive search firms\u2014 including Heidrick &amp; Struggles, Russell Reynolds Associates, and True Search\u2014point to four recurring proving grounds:<\/p>\n<p> Divisional presidents and general managers already operate miniature enterprises, overseeing budgets, talent, and performance. Scaling that experience across an entire corporation is often a natural next step.<\/p>\n<p> Such leadership roles remain a powerful launchpad, especially in industrial, retail, and consumer businesses, because they possess a detailed understanding of the operational backbone that keeps companies moving.<\/p>\n<p> As companies place a premium on efficiency and growth, finance leaders are increasingly seen as operators who can connect capital allocation with execution.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> In software, fintech, and digital-first companies, the modern factory floor is code. CIOs, CTOs, and engineering leaders are becoming natural candidates as cloud infrastructure, data management, cybersecurity, and AI become central drivers of enterprise performance.<\/p>\n<p>The evolution of the COO role will be front and center at the Fortune COO Summit this week. Executives, including Nike COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy, MGM Resorts COO Ayesha Molino, and Chipotle COO Jason Kidd, will share how they are reshaping operations for an era defined by speed, technology, scale, and rising customer expectations. You can follow along with the conference here.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>ruth.umoh@fortune.com<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Smarter in seconds<\/h3>\n<p><b>Sam\u2019s stage<\/b><span>. <\/span><span>As CEO of $96 billion Sam\u2019s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>Revenue rebound<\/b><span>. <\/span><span>How Citi CEO Jane Fraser turned the bank\u2019s chronic underperformance into decade-high revenue<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>AI ambassador. <\/b><span>Why Meta hired Dina Powell McCormick to help sell its vision for AI in Washington and on Wall Street<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=455\">Israel expands Lebanon assault with Iran-U.S. talks in balance<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Leadership lesson<\/h3>\n<p><span>Nvidia\u2019s CEO on the company\u2019s <\/span><span>low turnover rate<\/span><span>: \u201cThe purpose of leadership is to create the conditions for other people to realize their dreams, to be part of yours of course\u2026but to be able to turn their job, their profession, their craft hopefully into their life\u2019s work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>News to know<\/h3>\n<p><span>Anthropic joined the rarefied ranks of Series H startups on Thursday, becoming the first private company to approach a $1 trillion valuation. <\/span><em><span>Fortune<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>America\u2019s aging population is creating a workforce squeeze as too few younger workers are available to replace older employees in critical roles. <\/span><em><span>Fortune<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span>Starbucks pulled its AI assistant months after launch due to inaccurate inventory data that disrupted store operations. <\/span><em><span>Fortune<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span>Uber blew through its 2026 AI budget in four months, prompting its COO to question whether the company\u2019s AI investments are delivering meaningful consumer-facing value. <\/span><em><span>Fortune<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span>Samsung approved a pay deal that delivers hefty bonuses to chip workers, highlighting the widening pay divides in the AI era. <\/span><em><span>NYT<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Dell\u2019s stock surged after strong data-center results and a Pentagon deal fueled its AI-driven rally. <\/span><em><span>WSJ<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span>A Tesla\u2013SpaceX merger could create a $3.4 trillion giant, but one that currently loses money. <\/span><em><span>Fortune<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>About one in four professionals hit a career stall before 40, spending at least five years without a meaningful raise or promotion. <\/span><em><span>WSJ<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=453\">How Kelly Ortberg is rebuilding Boeing from the inside out<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As AI reshapes corporate priorities, a new class of operators is rising through the ranks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[120],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-next-to-lead"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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