The COO mandate in 2026: Running today while designing tomorrow

Chris Davey 4 Feb 2026

  • In 2026, the COO role has evolved into a strategic leadership position, responsible for translating strategy into delivery while balancing short-term performance with long-term transformation and resilience.

  • Operating model redesign and structural cost pressure are now permanent realities, with continuous change, embedded AI and automation, simplified organisations, and tough trade-offs between efficiency, control, and client experience.

  • Operational resilience and leadership succession sit firmly on the COO agenda, with board-level accountability for continuity, risk, and trust, and a growing focus on building deep leadership bench strength as a form of operational risk management.

 

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Chris Davey

Chris is a consultant in the Technology and Operations practice in London. He executes global searches across various industries but with a focus on insurance, asset/investment managers, private equity, banking, payments and FinTech, helping to place exceptional CIO, CTO and…

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