INSIGHT

What Is a Chief Longevity Officer? The Emerging C-Suite Role Reshaping Workforce Strategy

Stacy Litteral • October 28, 2025

Every day in America, nearly 10,000 baby boomers turn 65. By 2031, nearly one in four workers will be 55 or older. At the same time, younger employees are burning out at unprecedented rates, searching for better work-life balance and career flexibility.

The collision of these two workforce realities is creating a talent crisis. Companies are watching their most experienced employees approach retirement (and taking decades of institutional knowledge with them) while simultaneously struggling to retain younger talent. Traditional HR strategies aren’t designed for this moment.

Enter the Chief Longevity Officer.

The Role That’s Redefining How We Think About Work

A Chief Longevity Officer (CLO) is an executive-level position focused on making workforce longevity a competitive advantage. This role brings together responsibility for workforce management, employee health, workplace equity, and market opportunity into a single strategic function, transforming longevity from an abstract goal into a measurable business strategy.

The CLO designation is still emerging. While it hasn’t yet appeared in Fortune 500 companies, it’s been adopted by biotech startups, venture capital firms, and forward-thinking organizations in sectors like hospitality. But you’re already seeing variations of this role embedded within existing C-suite positions like Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, and Chief Wellness Officer.

What makes a CLO different? They’re not just managing benefits or wellness programs. They’re redesigning career paths, benefit structures, and workplace culture for employees whose work lives may span 60 years or more.

Why Companies Need This Role Now

The workforce is undergoing a seismic shift. Workers 75 and older are the fastest-growing segment of the labor force. Individual careers can now span six or more decades, meaning companies must support four to five generations of workers at any given time.

This isn’t just about accommodating older workers. Many employees want to work beyond traditional retirement age and not just for financial reasons. They find their work provides purpose, social connection, and a sense of accomplishment. Meanwhile, the competition for talent has never been fiercer.

Research suggests there’s enormous potential economic output from effectively employing older workers. Companies that figure out how to harness this opportunity while still supporting younger employees will have a significant competitive edge.

What Does a Chief Longevity Officer Actually Do?

The CLO’s mandate is surprisingly broad. They work to eliminate age-related barriers and create programs that leverage the strengths of each generation. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Breaking down age silos. A CLO designs programs that blend fresh perspectives from younger employees with the deep experience of seasoned professionals. This might mean implementing reverse mentorship programs where a 25-year-old digital native teaches a veteran marketing director about TikTok, while that director shares decades of strategic brand-building wisdom.
Creating flexible career paths. Rather than the traditional straight-line career trajectory, a CLO helps employees envision “second acts” within the same company—like a marketing manager taking a sabbatical to earn a data science certificate, then leading a new analytics team.
Rethinking benefits and wellness. The CLO ensures benefits packages address the full spectrum of employee needs—from student loan assistance for younger workers to elder care support for those in their 50s and 60s. They design wellness initiatives that promote healthy aging across all life stages.
Preserving institutional knowledge. Before experienced employees retire, a CLO implements knowledge transfer programs, mentorship structures, and succession planning that prevent brain drain.
Fostering lifelong learning. Some organizations, like L’Oreal, are training internal “longevity coaches” to bring practical knowledge about career development and skill-building to employees at all levels.
Addressing the business opportunity. CLOs recognize that individuals 50 and older fuel a multi-trillion-dollar longevity economy, and an age-diverse workforce provides companies with deeper insight into this vast consumer segment.

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The Business Case Is Compelling

When you dig into the numbers, the value of workforce longevity becomes clear:

Workers age 55 to 64 stay with employers for a median of 9.6 years, compared to just 2.7 years for those aged 25 to 34. That kind of retention reduces recruiting costs and preserves organizational knowledge.

Employees ages 50 and older are considered the most engaged of any age group, which directly correlates to higher organizational productivity.

Work teams comprising multiple generations perform better than those that don’t. The combination of innovation from younger workers and wisdom from experienced professionals creates stronger outcomes.

Skills evolve rapidly—the half-life of a technical skill is now just 2.5 years. Training investments in older workers often deliver equal or better returns than training younger employees, especially given their higher retention rates.

How to Implement This in Your Organization

You don’t necessarily need to create a standalone CLO position to benefit from longevity-focused strategies. Some companies embed longevity within the Chief Human Resources Officer portfolio by appointing a vice president of longevity and multigenerational workforce. Others expand the scope of a Chief Health and Wellbeing Officer to include healthspan and equity, or form cross-functional longevity councils that connect HR, benefits, learning and development, diversity initiatives, and product strategy.

The structure matters less than the commitment. What’s non-negotiable is that longevity must be owned, measured, and resourced.

Key strategies include:

1. Flexible work arrangements

Seventy-eight percent of workers over 50 want more flexible hours. Options like phased retirement, reduced schedules, or hybrid work models help retain experienced talent while respecting their changing needs.

2. Age-inclusive policies

Review your entire employee experience—from job applications to promotion criteria—for subtle age bias. Make sure benefits, health programs, and professional development opportunities serve employees at all career stages.

3. Intergenerational collaboration

Create formal mentorship programs that go both ways. Pair employees from different generations on projects. Build teams that intentionally mix age groups.

4. Continuous learning culture

Only 54% of employers place significant emphasis on professional growth among employees of all ages, including those 50 and older. Invest in training and development that helps all employees stay relevant as skills and technologies evolve.

5. Proactive succession planning

Don’t wait until someone announces retirement. Build leadership pipelines that prepare the next generation while keeping experienced employees engaged in meaningful work.

Where Outsourced HR Comes In

Many organizations recognize the importance of longevity strategies but lack the internal bandwidth or know-how to implement them effectively. This is where outsourced HR providers can step in as strategic partners.

An experienced HR services firm can:

Assess your current workforce demographics and identify age-related risks and opportunities
Design and implement age-inclusive policies and programs
Create flexible work arrangements and phased retirement options
Build mentorship and knowledge transfer programs
Develop training initiatives that serve multigenerational teams
Monitor compliance with age discrimination laws
Provide the ongoing support and measurement that longevity strategies require

The Bottom Line

The workforce is changing in ways we haven’t seen before. People are living longer, working longer, and expecting more from their careers. Companies that view this as a problem will struggle. Companies that see it as an opportunity will thrive.

Whether you call it a Chief Longevity Officer, embed these responsibilities within your existing HR structure, or partner with an outsourced HR provider, the goal is the same: create a workplace where employees of all ages can contribute, grow, and find purpose.

The organizations that get this right won’t just solve a demographic challenge. They’ll build a more innovative, more stable, and ultimately more successful business.

Ready to Explore What This Could Mean for Your Organization?

The conversation around workforce longevity is evolving quickly, and the organizations that act now will be positioned for long-term success. If you’re interested in discussing how age-inclusive strategies could strengthen your talent management approach, we’re here to help.

Contact BPM to learn more about our outsourced HR services and how we can support your workforce strategy.