CLO
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Chief learning officer |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Business & Finance |
CLO has three meanings. The most common are Chief learning officer (job title) and Chief legal officer (job title); it can also stand for Collateralized loan obligation.
Meanings of CLO at a glance
| # | CLO stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chief learning officer | Business & Finance › Job Title |
| 2 | Chief legal officer | Business & Finance › Job Title |
| 3 | Collateralized loan obligation | Business & Finance › Bond & Fixed-Income |
1. Chief learning officer
Business & Finance · Job Title Abbreviations
Leader of employee learning and development, including training programs, leadership development, skills strategy and corporate universities, with the aim of building the capabilities the business will need. The role often sits within human resources.
Example: Our CLO launched an internal academy to retrain 2,000 warehouse staff as technicians.
General Electric under Jack Welch is often credited with appointing the first CLO, Steve Kerr, in the 1990s. The title became more common as companies invested in reskilling for automation and AI. In legal and finance contexts, CLO means chief legal officer or collateralized loan obligation.
2. Chief legal officer
Business & Finance · Job Title Abbreviations · also used in law
Top lawyer in a company, responsible for legal strategy, litigation, regulatory matters, contracts, intellectual property and corporate governance, and often also serving as corporate secretary. The CLO usually reports to the CEO.
Example: The CLO advised the board that the acquisition would need antitrust approval in four countries.
In many companies the same role is titled general counsel (GC); CLO tends to be used where the legal function has broader responsibilities or the title signals C-suite status. CLO is also an abbreviation for chief learning officer and, in finance, for collateralized loan obligation.
3. Collateralized loan obligation
Business & Finance · Bond & Fixed-Income Abbreviations
Actively managed structured vehicle that buys a diversified pool of leveraged loans to companies, mostly private-equity-backed borrowers, and funds it by issuing tranches of debt and equity. CLOs are the largest buyers of US leveraged loans.
Example: The new CLO raised $500 million, with 63 percent of the capital in AAA-rated notes.
CLO debt pays floating rates, usually tied to SOFR. Despite similarities to subprime CDOs, CLOs performed relatively well through the 2008 crisis, and the US CLO market now exceeds $1 trillion. Each CLO's manager trades loans within limits set by collateral tests. In job titles, CLO means chief legal officer.
Related abbreviations
More job title abbreviations
- CGO – Chief growth officer
- CHRO – Chief human resources officer
- CIO – Chief information officer
- CISO – Chief information security officer
- CMO – Chief marketing officer
- COO – Chief operating officer
- CoS – Chief of staff
- CPO – Chief product officer
See all 70 job title abbreviations →