As investors sharpen their focus on ESG, and boards face growing pressure to build inclusive, resilient businesses, the Chief People Officer is becoming a key architect of both culture and credibility.
For healthcare and social care businesses in particular where services are inherently impact-driven – the expectation is rising. Private equity buyers and lenders are demanding robust reporting across Environmental, Social and Governance pillars before making a move. And that’s where the modern CPO steps in.
At a Compass Carter Osborne round table in London, it became clear that CPOs are not just caretakers of internal culture, they’re frontline contributors to investment-readiness. From tracking and reporting on diversity data to shaping governance structures that hold management accountable, HR leaders are helping prove the ESG case in real terms.
The ‘Social’ and ‘Governance’ pillars are especially tied to HR. CPOs are now expected to show not only how people are treated but how that treatment is measured, benchmarked, and improved. Exit interviews, colleague NPS scores, and leadership accountability structures are no longer ‘nice to have’, they are deal-critical.
And there’s another benefit too: board-level diversity. In a sector where over 80% of CPOs are women, bringing HR leaders into the C-suite helps close gender gaps and create executive teams that better reflect their workforces and the communities they serve.
“In a sector where over 80% of CPOs are women, bringing HR leaders into the C-suite helps close gender gaps.“
CPOs are also using their influence to shape organisational culture – lobbying for better collaboration between clinicians and frontline staff, and rolling out hub-and-spoke models in multi-site groups to share best practices and raise overall standards.
Culture isn’t just internal anymore – it’s part of how a company earns trust from stakeholders, regulators, and future acquirers. And in today’s tight market, culture and ESG might just be your biggest differentiators.
Are you seeking a trusted partner to support your executive search in healthcare?
We bring decades of executive search experience and a proven track record of success across our dedicated sectors. Our investor clients rely on us time and again to build exceptional leadership teams that drive growth and deliver results.
