CAO
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Chief accounting officer |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Business & Finance, Education & Academia |
CAO has three meanings. The most common are Chief accounting officer (job title) and Chief administrative officer (job title); it can also stand for Central Applications Office.
Meanings of CAO at a glance
| # | CAO stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chief accounting officer | Business & Finance › Job Title |
| 2 | Chief administrative officer | Business & Finance › Job Title |
| 3 | Central Applications Office | Education & Academia › Academic |
1. Chief accounting officer
Business & Finance · Job Title Abbreviations
Senior accounting executive responsible for the company's books, financial statements, accounting policies and internal controls, usually reporting to the CFO. In large US public companies, the CAO frequently also holds the title of controller.
Example: The CAO signed the 10-K as principal accounting officer alongside the CEO and CFO.
SEC annual reports must be signed by the principal executive, financial and accounting officers, so the CAO's signature appears on the Form 10-K. The CAO focuses on reporting accuracy, while the CFO handles broader finance strategy. CAO also means chief administrative officer.
2. Chief administrative officer
Business & Finance · Job Title Abbreviations
Executive who oversees administrative and support functions, which can include facilities, legal, HR, procurement and corporate services, freeing the CEO to focus on strategy. In local government, the CAO is often the top appointed manager of a city or county.
Example: The county CAO presented the draft budget to the board of supervisors on Tuesday.
The role's scope varies greatly by organization. In US municipal government, a CAO or city manager runs daily operations under elected officials. Context separates this from chief accounting officer: a public-company filing usually means the accounting role.
3. Central Applications Office
Education & Academia · Academic Abbreviations
Organization that processes applications for undergraduate courses at Irish universities and colleges. Offers are based on points earned in the Leaving Certificate, with a maximum of 625 including the bonus for higher-level mathematics.
Example: His Leaving Cert results earned 560 CAO points, enough for engineering at Trinity.
Applicants list up to ten courses in order of preference in each of two lists. Points requirements for each course are set by demand in a given year. Mature students and international applicants follow separate entry routes. In companies, CAO means chief administrative officer.
Related abbreviations
More job title abbreviations
- AVP – Assistant vice president
- BA – Business analyst
- BDR – Business development representative
- CAIO – Chief AI officer
- CBO – Chief business officer
- CCO – Chief compliance officer
- CDO – Chief data officer
- CEO – Chief executive officer
See all 70 job title abbreviations →