Growth in CHRO, tech roles 'signals that talent, culture and digital capability are now viewed as enterprise risks, not support functions'
The boom of artificial intelligence (AI) in workplaces has meant a massive pay bump for human resources and tech leaders in organisations, according to a recent report.
Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) are increasingly joining the ranks of the highest-paid executives at public companies, as boards respond to the twin pressures of artificial intelligence and a tightening talent market, reports The Conference Board.
The report – based on proxy statements from Russell 3000 and S&P 500 companies filed through Dec. 3, 2025 – finds that from 2021 to 2025 the number of CTOs identified as named executive officers (NEOs) in the Russell 3000 rose 61%, from 155 to 249 disclosures. Over the same period, the number of CHROs listed as NEOs increased 55%, from 148 to 230.
“Growth in CHRO and CTO roles signals that talent, culture, and digital capability are now viewed as enterprise risks, not support functions,” said Andrew Jones, co-author of the report and Principal Researcher at The Conference Board. “Boards are prioritizing leaders who shape resilience and transformation across the organization.”
CHROs identified AI transformation as their top priority for 2026, according to previous research published by technology research and consulting firm Gartner.
Business unit leaders declining
At the same time, the prominence of business unit leaders among NEOs has declined. Though still the largest non-mandatory NEO category, business unit leaders — such as top division executives and presidents of subsidiaries — saw their representation fall 15% in the Russell 3000 between 2021 and 2025, from 1,734 to 1,475 disclosures.
Legal roles posted the fastest growth among non-mandatory NEOs. Positions including chief legal officers, corporate secretaries, and general counsels increased 21% over the same period, from 1,154 to 1,390 disclosures.
COO roles remained widely represented but showed signs of levelling off. Chief operating officer disclosures rose 6%from 849 in 2021 to 901 in 2025, but dropped from a peak of 990 in 2023, suggesting a plateau.
“The growth in legal NEO roles shows how regulatory, litigation, and enterprise risk are becoming central to executive decision-making,” said Dana Etra, Managing Director at FW Cook. “As governance and compliance pressures mount, boards are bringing legal leaders closer to the center of power.”
CHROs are cycling through organizations faster than other C-suite leaders, according to previous reports.
Rising compensation for NEOs
The study also tracks how overall NEO compensation is changing by company size. From 2024 to 2025, median NEO pay in the Russell 3000 increased 8%, compared with a 5% rise in the S&P 500.
“NEO pay growth in the S&P 500 was targeted, not broad. Large-cap companies focused increases on roles tied to enterprise-wide risk and control, especially CHROs and CLOs, rather than raising compensation across the board,” said Jonathan Reinstein, Counsel at Ropes & Gray LLP.
Named executive officers are the five highest-paid executives at public companies, according to The Conference Board’s report.
While chief executive officers and chief financial officers must be disclosed as NEOs by regulation, the remaining positions are determined by pay level. The study found that those non-mandatory slots are increasingly being filled by executives with enterprise-wide mandates in legal, technology, talent, and commercialisation.
Meanwhile, amid the AI boom, HR leaders are facing another challenge: compliance demands are expanding rapidly while governance and technology investments lag behind, according to a previous report.
