India, Oct. 27 -- For years, the Chief Operating Officer was associated with a familiar mandate: improve efficiency, control costs and ensure execution. That mandate is changing. As AI enters core workflows, supply networks face greater volatility and customers expect faster, more responsive experiences, operations has become closely tied to strategy. The COO is increasingly being asked not simply to make the organisation run better, but to rethink how it runs.

This shift is visible in the technology landscape. PwC's 2025 Digital Trends in Operations Survey found that 57% of operations and supply chain leaders had integrated AI into selected functions or throughout their organisations, while 92% cited at least one reason why technology i...