While geopolitics led the conversations before the World Economic Forum in January, the “economics for everyone” message rang most clearly there, aligned with Page’s latest research we debuted at Davos and in the conversations we convened throughout the week.
Drawing on Page’s engagement with more than 100 CCOs and senior leaders across seven Page co-sponsored events, the following four leadership imperatives reflect what CCOs are being asked to navigate now, and how the role continues to expand at moments of heightened economic, geopolitical, and technological pressure.
Each imperative is supported by practical insights drawn from these conversations, offering guidance for how CCOs can lead in the year ahead.
Focus on Local, Tangible Impact
- Quantify and Localize Economic Impact: How is your organization contributing to an economy that works for everyone, not just shareholders? As highlighted by recent Page-Harris Poll research, and reinforced in WEF’s Interim-co chair and Blackrock CEO Larry Fink’s opening remarks at the World Economic Forum, stakeholders increasingly expect companies to demonstrate tangible economic and social impact at the local level. CCOs must measure and clearly communicate how value is created in the communities where they operate – translating corporate activity into clear, transparent and easy-to-understand benefits for consumers and community members. As our Page Principle says “Prove it with action.”
- Make Your Website the Single Source of Truth: Your corporate website is your primary authority. In an era of fragmented information and generative AI, stakeholders increasingly rely on trusted, owned platforms for accurate context. CCOs must ensure their websites are optimized for both traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Generative AI Optimization (GEO) so that when people – or AI agents – search for your organization, your factual, authoritative narrative appears first.
- Address the Mental Health Imperative: Mental health emerged as a defining workforce issue across Davos– from Harris Poll findings to leadership conversations hosted at Inkwell Beach, Axis Capital and Burson. For Gen Z in particular, mental health is not a “perk” or secondary benefit – but a core expectation of leadership and culture. CCOs must clearly articulate available mental health support and benefits, while actively promoting healthier workplace norms. This includes modeling balance at the leadership level and prioritizing human connection and in-real-life community as core components of organizational resilience.
Master the Shifting Authority Landscape
- Invest in Local, Credible Influencers: Influence is increasingly hyper-local. Trust today is built through credible, community-based voices — not celebrity outreach alone. CCOs should adopt a public affairs mindset, building one-to-one relationships with local influencers and community leaders who understand regional issues, have authentic followings, and can serve as trusted voices in moments that matter.
- Strengthen Comms-Marketing-CISO Alignment: The lines between functions are interdependent. Effective risk leadership now depends on deep alignment between Communications, Marketing, Legal and CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) teams. In many organizations, marketing controls branded digital and social channels, yet those teams are often not equipped to manage crises, disinformation or reputational risk. CCOs must proactively build cross-functional trust, establish clear guardrails and create integrated, 24/7 global response models that enable the organization to move quickly, credibly, and in one voice, using clear pre-set AI guardrails to reduce risks.
Lead the Human-Controlled, Comprehensive AI Transformation
- Prioritize AI Workflow & Operations: Successful AI adoption begins with understanding existing workflows. Conversations made clear that before scaling tools, CCOs must first map how work actually gets done today. Many organizations are assigning – or hiring – operations-focused leaders to oversee AI education, experimentation, financial modeling, and scaling efforts.
- Ensure Human Control & Fact-Checking: As Agentic AI accelerates, humans must remain the last line of defense. Conversations highlighted the growing reputational risk associated with AI-generated errors and hallucinations. CCOs should institute mandatory, rigorous fact-checking processes and clear accountability before any AI-assisted content is released publicly.
- Build Cultural Authenticity and Test for Bias: Cultural authenticity is non-negotiable. Discussions throughout the week underscored the importance of ensuring that content creation and AI applications reflect the communities they serve. Teams must be culturally representative of their audiences and organizations must intentionally test for bias in AI results to ensure equitable and accurate representation.
Elevate People and Purpose
- Shift to a Full-Stack Communicator Model: The future communicator is not a narrow specialist. CCO conversations in Davos highlighted the need for their teams to evolve beyond purely tactical roles. Organizations should invest in developing full-stack communicators – strategic thinkers with strong judgment, emotional intelligence, advisory capability and relationship building skills that cannot be replicated by AI.
- Treat Reputation as a Financial Asset: Corporate reputation represents multi-trillion-dollar value. Research shared at Davos, including studies from Burson and Sandpiper, underscored the growing performance gap tied between workplace culture and trust presents a material risk. CCOs must invest in their people strategy with the same rigor they invest in AI technology and innovation.
Witnessing Our Community in Action
Beyond these takeaways, I witnessed the prestige and influence of our Page Community. Page and Page Up members were actively counseling their CEOs through complex geopolitical dynamics, rapid technological change and rising stakeholder expectations. Bringing business leaders together reinforced a simple truth: that communications leadership is business strategy. CCOs who integrate local impact, AI governance, and human-centered leadership will be best positioned to guide their organizations through what comes next.
Looking Ahead
Page is intentionally creating other opportunities for our members to convene, share experiences and learn from one another where they are working. The goal is to ensure those conversations generate insights that are practical, relevant, and immediately actionable. Let us know which business convenings you are attending this year, and we can explore opportunities to coordinate Page community engagement. In the meantime, take a deeper dive into the research cited or connect with members who facilitated the conversations, visit these sites or contactus@page.org.
Go Deeper
Axis Capital Mental Health Study
AXIS CISO CEO Study
Burson’s Global Reputation Economy
Alethea NFL Fan Free Zone Case Study
