Chief Executive Officer

Main employers of a Chief Executive Officer

• International companies
• Large corporations, distribution, manufacturing, production, services, etc.
• Other nationally established companies
• SMEs

Skills of a Chief Executive Officer

• Ability to build a relationship of trust with the Board of Directors
• Effectively leverage the specific expertise of board members
• Strong interpersonal and decision-making skills
• Comfort within the company’s industry
• Alignment with the vision of the owner and stakeholders

Responsibilities of a Chief Executive Officer

While the Chair of the Board of Directors ensures that board members fulfill their respective roles, the Chief Executive Officer implements strategic decisions. The CEO combines both responsibilities.

If the CEO is not the company’s founder and has been recruited externally, they must establish strong working relationships with the Board. They may also be required to carry out special mandates assigned to them. All their actions must be aligned with the Board’s strategic direction.

The Board’s priority challenges may be commercial or organizational in nature. The CEO’s mandate is to ensure the organization’s growth, with the ultimate objective of increasing its competitiveness and ensuring long-term sustainability.

A skilled CEO will leverage the expertise of each board member and work to build a strong employer brand that supports both retention and recruitment of current and future employees.

The CEO’s leadership role is critical and begins with recognizing the skills and expertise of employees at all levels of the organization.

Current challenges of a Chief Executive Officer

The current challenges faced by a Chief Executive Officer are specific to each organization, but some common trends can be identified. Currently, turnover among senior executives and leaders is at its highest level in the past decade.

Two main factors explain this trend. First, there are planned retirements, or even early retirements due to the pandemic, linked to the historically larger baby boomer generation occupying senior executive roles. Second, organizations increasingly need leaders with different profiles depending on economic cycles, growth, recession, stagflation, and others.

A CEO today operates in a constantly evolving organizational and competitive environment, which creates challenges in recruiting and retaining strategic talent.

Responsibilities of a Chief Executive Officer

The responsibilities of a Chief Executive Officer are critical to the development of an organization. These may include addressing priority challenges identified by the Board of Directors or carrying out specific mandates. In all cases, the objective is to ensure long-term sustainability and strengthen the company’s competitive position.