C-suite

[ see-sweet ]

adjective

1. noting or relating to executives at the C-level, the highest management level in an organization:

   C-suite leadership.

noun

1. the top executives in an organization, considered collectively:

   decision-making by the C-suite.

Word History and Origins

Origin of C-suite¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

The non-endorsements at the Times and the Post were not editorial-side decisions; they were C-suite decisions.

From Slate

The rift in the newsroom and C-suite is representative of the greater trend in legacy media outlets and coverage of the war in Gaza and questions arising around editorial independence in corporate-owned media.

From Salon

Management depicted the fact that the move put nearly 2,100 miles between headquarters and Boeing’s most important business segment, commercial aircraft, as a virtue: After all, it immunized the C-suite from being swayed by the concerns of its engineering and quality staff, as if that was a good thing.

From Los Angeles Times

In the letter, he expressed a desire to "identify, recruit, educate, and elevate a new generation of leaders" who can wield influence in "the courtroom, the Hollywood box-office, or the corporate C-Suite of the Fortune 500" and "operationalize the conservative movement’s objectives, shaping decisions and blocking threats at the highest levels of influence."

From Salon

I’m spending a lot of my energy talking to importers and exporters, service providers, leadership at the C-suite level to try to make sure I anticipate as much as possible, what’s happening now and what we can expect in the future.

From Los Angeles Times

More About C-suite

What does C-suite mean?

C-suite refers to the group of highest-level executive positions within a corporation or organization, also known as C-level positions.

Where does C-suite come from?

In the corporate world, C-suite is used to refer to those within the most senior group—or suite, in this case meaning “set”—of managers in a company.

The names of these positions generally begin with the letter C for chief, for example, the chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO), chief operating officer (COO), and chief information officer (CIO). People in this suite are also referred to as C-levels or C-level executives.

C-suite was first recorded around 1990–1995. The use of the term has broadened to refer to being in a position of power and authority more generally.

How is C-suite used in real life?

C-suite was originally, and is still, used as business jargon for corporate senior management.

Its meaning has extended to informally mean “making it to the top” of a business, and it is increasingly used outside the business world as slang for inclusion among the most important or elite people within a given community or enterprise.

C-suite can act as a collective noun for senior management (e.g., the C-suite) as well as a modifier for that level of authority (e.g., C-suite responsibilities).

More examples of C-suite:

“Casey Foss (@cfoss24) shares how she’s learned to balance motherhood with a career in the C-Suite”

—West Monroe Careers, January 2018