Building a career path to reach the CEO position is not orthodox. To become the captain who will lead the company and its crew, there is a natural growth dynamic that must be experienced for the professional to develop the precise qualities needed to connect with and inspire teams, guiding them toward desired objectives. But the big question ambitious individuals ask is: what is the best way to reach this position? And what other experiences are needed to contribute to this journey?
Many studies indicate that a large portion of current CEOs previously held the role of CFO. Indeed, this is a highly advantageous position competitively on the path to CEO, and it is often the most logical route.
The Chief Financial Officer typically holds the ‘keys to the vault’ of companies. They oversee the business’s commercial operations, internal projects, and maintain crucial banking relationships for corporate financial health. By handling responsibilities more sensitive to business operations and having access to highly relevant internal information, they become one of the most credible and influential professionals internally, compared to other executives.
Given their more technical focus, CFOs usually surround themselves with strategic professionals from other areas (sales, marketing, etc.) to aid their progression toward the CEO role—all traits that justify the predominance of CFOs ascending to the Chief Executive Officer position.
However, even though this dynamic often prevails and is the most ‘natural’ in the market, it is not a rigid or scientific process, nor does it exclude professionals from other areas from reaching this position. In practice, those who aspire to this path must focus not only on developing precise technical skills but also on excelling as leaders of people and processes, inspiring others and delivering results to progress over time into more senior roles, transitioning from a vertical to a transversal professional.
After all, a good CEO must have a strategic and detailed vision of all company areas. Even without deep expertise in every domain, they must intelligently see the bigger picture and make things happen. This, along with surrounding themselves with strategic advisors they trust, ensures better-informed decisions to improve business results.
The CEO role is undeniably one of the most coveted in career progression. Though long seen as a position that brought enormous bonuses to its holders, today these references also highlight its burdens—not just in responsibility but also in the solitude of decision-making and its impact on corporate growth and prosperity.
This greater clarity, while making some reconsider pursuing this role, has been an extremely positive movement, encouraging self-reflection about what individuals truly want in their professional journeys.
For those aspiring to become a CEO, they must clearly understand the complexities of this position, so when faced with crossroads, they don’t abandon ship but instead demonstrate resilience and persistence to overcome challenges and drive the company forward. It is indeed a lonely seat, but for those willing to accept the challenge, it offers exceptional advantages for their market reputation.
