- Never-before-seen research on CHROs identifies the backgrounds, career moves, and critical capabilities of the highest-performing HR leaders
- Research finds alarmingly low levels of CHRO succession planning, with 73% of top HR leaders coming from outside the company
- New study and capability model, coupled with one-on-one partnerships, roundtables and advisory services, launched to help CHROs dramatically improve their impact and career opportunities
The Josh Bersin Company, the world’s leading human capital advisory firm, today reveals a new, groundbreaking research and advisory offering on the evolving role of the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), highlighting the capabilities and detailed backgrounds of the most high-performing HR leaders.
The CHRO role has clearly moved into the C-suite, with 13% of senior HR leaders now ranked among the top five highest-paid executives. However, as the role has escalated in importance and complexity, companies are increasingly struggling to find the “right” CHRO for their needs.
The findings revealed for the first time in this comprehensive analysis of the current state of the CHRO role, Understanding the Path to CHRO, include:
- 53% of HR leaders are C-suite members, making them as important as CFOs and CIOs. In high-performing companies, this percentage rises to 60%
- Surprisingly, most companies either lack trust in or have no program for building CHRO skills internally, with 73% of new CHROs coming from outside the company
- Despite the complexities of HR, non-HR candidates are now taking on the CHRO role in more than 10% of companies, and these individuals drive higher impact on organizational success than incumbents
- CHROs promoted internally are 40% less likely to be promoted to C-level than their business counterparts, demonstrating the lack of effective succession management for this critical position
- High-performing CHROs typically have multi-disciplinary backgrounds. Leaders who majored in political science and economics often make the strongest fit, while those with business and language studies backgrounds tend to be less successful
- CHROs are highly educated, with 98% holding a degree, yet only 15% have a qualification in HR. Top organizations are twice as likely to have a CHRO with a doctorate
- CHROs who come from finance and administration, the traditional hiring sources, are decreasing in number and show the lowest business impact in the study, while consulting and technology experience are correlated with higher organizational performance
- International experience is key—75% of high-performing CHROs have it, versus 50% of lower performers
- CHROs over 50 are 36% more likely to be high-performing than their younger counterparts, indicating a strong link between experience and success.
A map to changing relationships in a fast-moving business world
In this unique analysis of HR leaders’ career trajectories, The Josh Bersin Company, which leveraged data from SeekOut, an AI-powered recruiting and talent intelligence company, uncovered the quiet but radical evolution of today’s top human and talent management executives.
This shift began in the early 2000s when a critical digital talent shortage forced CEOs to rethink HR’s role. As companies adapted to the Information Age, CHROs took on greater strategic responsibilities—moving beyond payroll and hiring to oversee performance management, leadership development, and corporate universities.
As businesses evolved and societal shifts took hold, CHROs took on diversity initiatives, change management, and the complexities of global workforces. The rise of globalization, remote work, and movements like George Floyd’s impact on DEI further expanded their role. In 2025, CHROs are increasingly being relied on as strategic leaders, managing human capital as a key business driver, taking a leadership role in AI transformation, and shaping a workforce of “superworkers.”
However, the role’s growing complexity has outpaced CEO recognition and support, leaving many with insufficient training and resources to navigate this evolving landscape. This is reflected, for example, in the paucity of executive-level training and leadership education at even the top tier of U.S. Higher Education.
Understanding the Path to CHRO is the first step in The Josh Bersin Company’s journey to provide guidance—not just for CHROs themselves but also for those hiring them. The report offers CEOs and corporate headhunters a clear decision tree for this mission-critical appointment:
- If your organization needs fresh perspectives and externally gained HR expertise, hire a Career CHRO (HR background across multiple domains)
- If internal HR relationships and expertise are most valued, seek a Company CHRO (HR background, promoted from within)
- If strong non-HR business experience and internal business relationships are key, look for a Business CHRO (background in Operations, Sales, or other business areas)
- If optimizing HR delivery and cost structure is the priority, an Operations CHRO is the best fit (background in Finance, Risk Management, or Administration).
The Josh Bersin Company research delivers a sophisticated taxonomy and career framework, enabling organizations to identify the right CHRO for this critical boardroom role. At the same time, it equips aspiring CHROs with data-driven insights, career strategies, and training resources to navigate their individual path to the top.
This research analysis identifies four distinct CHRO career paths, key skills for success, and the importance of a Systemic HR® approach over traditional HR career thinking.
The Josh Bersin Company warns that while the traditional CHRO role delivers value in HR as a service—focusing on compliance, team management, and process support—it falls short of what organizations desperately need. A true C-suite CHRO must focus on business strategy, technology enablement, problem-solving, and creative new leadership.
Anoop Gupta, co-founder and CEO of SeekOut, says:
“The pace of change in today’s business landscape is staggering, and having the right talent, deployed to key priorities, is critical to organizational success. CHROs play a strategic role in this alignment and re-imagination of the people function for the new age. Hats off to the leaders driving this systemic transformation.”
Global industry analyst and SVP Research at The Josh Bersin Company, Kathi Enderes, says:
“This research combines HR maturity data from hundreds of organizations and insights from SeekOut’s AI-powered platform to provide timely guidance for CEOs and CHROs, helping them understand the evolving CHRO role, identify key career paths, and align education and experience.”
“The CHRO Insights™ initiative will expand to offer resources that help CHROs navigate their responsibilities within the context of Systemic HR and leadership capabilities, creating valuable career opportunities. But it’s only the senior or apprentice HRs who embrace that ‘systemic’ mindset who will blossom into the strategy and business consultant position the true CHRO now has in their grasp.”
Global industry analyst and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company, Josh Bersin, says:
“The choice is becoming clear: Do you want to operate as the administrative ‘head of personnel,’ with an endless list of payroll, labor-relations, compliance, and benefits admin tasks filling up every second of the day? Or do you want to embrace the reality that, thanks to forces like the pandemic and AI, you’ve become a C-level officer responsible for the growth and productivity of the number one managed expense in the company?
“There’s room for all kinds of CHROs and career paths. But an amazing opportunity has opened up, exposed in great detail in our research: you’re just a few steps away from leading the transformation your CEO needs, from AI to job redesign, skills-development, and future planning.
“Ultimately, the CHRO has risen to become one of the most important and impactful positions in any company. The question is, Have you recognized how much your organization needs you, and are you ready to seize the opportunity?”
Learn and grow as a CHRO with new Josh Bersin Company tools and resources
Designed exclusively for CHROs, The Josh Bersin Company now offers a wide set of executive development initiatives and programs through the Josh Bersin Company CHRO Insights™ Program.
The CHRO Insights™ Program combines research, community, one-on-one partnership, and learning experiences to equip both new and seasoned HR leaders with the tools to create value and drive impact in the evolving world of work. Josh Bersin and Kathi Enderes will host an introductory webinar for the initiative on March 13, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET.
Attendees of the upcoming Josh Bersin Company annual executive conference, Irresistible 2025, can also participate in CHRO Insights-focused learning and networking events. The conference will be held from May 19-21 in Los Angeles, with an early bird discount available until March 1.
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