Exploring the professional identity of the corporate communication officer: Commander or Chamberlain?

This chapter explored the main attributes of the CCO’s occupational identity, in order to highlight how his personal and professional background of experiences shape corporate communication practice in the firm. The chapter developed a qualitative interpretive approach based on autobiographical interviews with the CCOs of leading Italian companies quoted on the stock exchange. Findings suggest that corporate communication culture is affected by both the CCO’s own culture and his ability to manage the power trade-offs with the other business functions and ‘tell’ the organization to stakeholders honestly and engagingly. Moreover, today’s CCO appears as a ‘romantic character’ balancing multiple identities to cope with environmental complexity.