The Future of Comms Talent: A C-Suite Conversation

The best communications leaders create vital networks through strategic influence, move their organizations through crisis and uncertainty, and avert major risks for their businesses… and yet, when communicators do their best work, the results are often invisible. Their success enables the world around them to perceive “business as usual,” even during times of turbulence. 

Recently, Egon Zehnder leadership advisor, Liz Avera, joined Jon Harris, Chief Communications and Networking Officer for Conagra Brands, during the Strategic Communicators Circle Virtual Summit to host a thoughtful discussion on how the communications function is evolving.  

Drawing on their rich joint experiences, Liz and Jon offered insights on the role of CCO – how the skillsets required to thrive as a company’s Chief Communicator are both rapidly changing and fundamentally steadfast. They also shared guidance for aspiring C-suite leaders on how they can accelerate and augment their own growth paths. 

Read on for key excerpts from their conversation, which offer a snapshot of where top Communications talent is heading, and how vital the role of Chief Communications Officer will continue to be for the world’s most successful organizations. 

Jon Harris: The biggest shift is that communicators are no longer just communicators; they are business leaders who happen to do communications. That distinction matters because the role now sits much closer to enterprise strategy, board conversations, and CEO counsel than it once did.  

Liz Avera: I agree, over the last five to six years many of the most senior communications roles have increasingly gone to leaders with both corporate communications depth and a public affairs lens. Even as technology and AI reshape the work, the through line remains the same: the strongest communicators are strategic, influential, and deeply connected to the business. 

Avera: The competencies are evolving, but the core remains intact. As Jon said, organizations are looking for leaders who understand communications as a strategic function, not just an executional one. Exposure to public affairs, external affairs, and cross-functional collaboration is growing in importance, even when those functions sit elsewhere in the organization.  

Harris: Communications leaders earn their seat at the table every day. That means understanding operations, supply chains, government affairs, sustainability, brand, internal communications, and the broader forces shaping the business. The more impact a communicator can have on the business, the more valuable that person becomes. 

Harris: Gone are the days when communicators were simply “the message people.” Today, strong communications leaders must be students of the business they represent. They need to understand the industry, pressure-test strategy, and help shape the narrative in a way that supports the organization’s overall goals. When communications is centralized as a center of excellence, every brand story, policy response, and external message should ladder up to the broader business strategy.  

Avera: Communicators are often uniquely positioned across the enterprise, with visibility into multiple functions and stakeholder groups. From a broader career perspective, that exposure builds the kind of foundational business knowledge that can open doors far beyond traditional communications roles.  

Avera: The best communicators aren’t merely passive messengers – they are true partners to business leaders. The role, when performed well, is increasingly defined by collaboration, influence, and judgment – and those are deeply human abilities that will remain central even as technology makes many tactical tasks within the function faster or easier.  

Harris: Communicators must be trusted counselors to CEOs, boards, and senior leadership teams. That means understanding the stakes, challenging assumptions when needed, and helping the organization navigate what comes next with clarity and confidence. 

Harris: Mentorship has been central to my career, and paying that support forward is part of leadership. There is infinite value in having trusted voices around you, people who will tell you the truth, guide you through challenges, and help you avoid mistakes.  

Avera: I’m often mindful of the fact that communicators (whose work often centers on elevating others) can easily lose sight of their own impact. One practice that a mentor of mine once shared with me is a weekly “But For Me” reflection: identifying a success that could not have come to fruition but for me, or but for my contribution. This can be helpful for all leaders at various stages in their careers, but I think it can be particularly helpful for communications professionals who may have the tendency to overlook their involvement in business success.  

Harris: Some of the greatest value communications teams create is invisible. It lives in the crises prevented, the reputational damage avoided, and the difficult situations managed before they escalate. That is why crisis communications is indispensable for anyone who aspires to the top role. Those moments are where leaders grow.  

Avera: At the highest levels, everyone looks to the communications leader to be the steadying force in turbulent moments. That requires not only experience, but empathy: the ability to absorb multiple – at times conflicting – perspectives, and address an issue in a way that reflects all of them.  

Harris: Communicators are often the connectors and quarterbacks in those moments, helping organizations move through uncertainty with discipline and calm. 

Harris: Seize opportunities, volunteer, and do not let fear shrink your career. Some of the moments that most shape a career come from stepping into visible, difficult work before you feel fully ready.  

Avera: I completely agree! It’s worth noting that communicators can be especially vulnerable to perfectionism, which can be an asset in our work, but it can also hold people back from taking chances that move their careers forward.  

Harris: Perfect is the enemy of good. People are not perfect, and the real power comes from learning, correcting, and sharing those lessons with others. 

Avera: The first step is getting clear on what success really looks like, including not only visible deliverables but also all of the behind-the-scenes work and strategic influence that yields reputation protection and other important business outcomes. Once you’re clear on your measures of success, be confident and open in articulating your contributions.  

Harris: People must chart their success because managers are busy and progress can easily go unseen. Status updates, goal tracking, and thoughtful self-advocacy are not bragging; they are part of professional growth.  

Harris: I reject the idea that Gen Z lacks drive. In my experience, many emerging professionals are passionate, hardworking, eager to learn, and highly ambitious.  

Avera: Every generation contains a range of motivations and aspirations! Not everyone wants the C-suite, and that’s not a flaw; success should be defined individually. The point is not that everyone must reach the same title, but that each person should work toward becoming their best and most effective self. 

Avera: Don’t let great be the enemy of good, and make a habit of recognizing your own contributions.  

Harris: Lead with kindness, raise your goals, keep learning, and do not let fear dictate your path. Be a student of the business, meet people, grow your network, and keep stretching beyond your comfort zone.