​Investment - What Leadership Titles Mean and What They Do

The chief executive officer (CEO) runs the business.


Chief Financial Officer (CFO): This person is in charge of getting the company money and filing its taxes.


Chief Operating Officer (COO): This person runs the business day-to-day.
This person is called the chief investment officer (CIO), and they are in charge of all of the company's investments and the help they give to clients. They also make decisions about investments for the company and for clients.


Head Trader: This person is in charge of all trading activities. In companies that do proprietary trading, they are also in charge of all positions, risks, and profits.


The chief accountant, who is also called the finance controller, is in charge of the accounting and money processes.


The treasurer is in charge of managing the money, which includes investing earnings and paying bills.


Chief Risk Officer (CRO): This person finds and handles the risks that the company and its clients face.


Chief Compliance Officer (CCO): This person is in charge of making sure that the company follows all laws and rules and treats clients properly.


The Chief Audit Executive is in charge of the internal audit department, whose job it is to give the company's operational systems an outside look and make ideas for how they can be made better.


The general counsel is in charge of the legal department, which reads and helps write contracts, files lawsuits or reacts to them, and explains rules.

Some people at many companies, especially smaller ones, have more than one title and job duty. One small investment management company may have a chief investment officer who is also the chief executive officer.

Staff for Investment


Many different types of investment professionals work for firms in the investment business.

At buy-side firms, portfolio managers choose how to spend money for one or more portfolios.

Investment research that portfolio managers use to make choices is made by buy-side, sell-side, and independent research analysts.

Research assistants help research experts gather and look over information about investments.

Traders on the buy side work with firms on the sell side to fill trade orders made by fund managers.

Sales traders work for firms on the sell side and help their buy-side clients set up trades.

They are in charge of sales for certain areas, goods, or types of customers.

Salespeople look for people who might buy from the company and then sell them its goods and services.

Assisting salespeople with paperwork is what sales assistants do.

Agents in customer service and their assistants help customers open, close, and handle their accounts and answer questions from customers.

At many companies, people who work with clients on investments are called account executives and account managers.

Work as a study assistant is a common first job for investment professionals who want to become portfolio managers. Assistants who become very good at a certain subject, are good with numbers, and can write well may be moved to research analysts. 

Analysts who are good at making decisions about investments often become fund managers. In the same way, financial professionals who want to start working in sales or account services can start as sales assistants or account services assistants.

Companies that offer financial management also hire people with skills in legal services, accounting, information technology, marketing, and information technology.