Is This the End of the Chief Supply Chain Officer Role?

For years, we’ve debated whether the Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) role is “evolving.” But framing it as slow change misses the point. What’s happening now is not a gentle curve - it’s a structural break.

Boards will still want an executive to sign off on compliance, carry liability, and tell the story. But the operating system beneath the CSCO seat - how supply chains are staffed, how decisions are made, how risks are managed - is being rewritten in real time.

The Old Supply Chain Model

The traditional CSCO role was built for stability:

• Predictable global trade flows

• Quarterly reviews and reporting cycles

• Linear career ladders through procurement, logistics, and planning

• Manual guardrails like audits and paper trails

• Siloed oversight of operations and risk

This model worked in a slower, less connected world. But today, volatility is the rule, not the exception.