Difference Between CEO and President (With Table)

Business leaders aspire to be seen as visionaries and leaders, while presidents are tasked with day-to-day managerial goals and changes. In basic terms, the CEO pledges the business, laying out a long-term strategy for the company’s future. The firm’s president honors his word and runs the organization in a way that makes his project a success.

CEO vs President

The main difference between CEO and President is that most companies have a chief executive officer (CEO) and a president, with the CEO being the top officer and the president being the second largest in command. Financial regulation and organization can take on several different forms. Hence the CEO, as well as president positions, may alter based on the employer.

CEOs are responsible for managing a business’s functions and operations, making significant strategic choices, acting as the main interface here between the management board with business operations, acting as the public face of the corporation, among other things. Chairmanship of the boards is not uncommon for CEOs.

It’s not uncommon for a company’s CEO to be the president. If a person is talking about somebody in charge of a section or a key area inside an organization, you’re usually talking about someone who is in charge. In certain cases, the president also serves as the CEO of the company.

Comparison Table Between CEO and President

Parameters of Comparison

CEO

President

Rankings

The CEO is believed to be the top-ranked employee in the company.

President is the second in command, just below the Chief Executive Officer.

Role

CEOs make a pledge to the organization and create a vision for the future.

Execution and honoring promises are key to bringing the vision to fruition for the President.

Key Tasks

The CEO needs to ensure the management has all the knowledge, and they analyze the surroundings for growth chances. It’s their job to set budgets, steer the organization in the proper direction and cultivate a positive work environment, as well as to lead a team of people.

Implementing targets, marketing campaigns, overseeing sales, and doing research and innovation are the main duties of the president. A number of other important activities may include optimizing processes, designing and implementing frameworks, and planning for the future of the company.

Measurement of Success

Innovating gives a business a competitive position in the industry, and that is how a CEO’s performance is judged. Metrics such as earnings per share, return on capital, increased revenues, and continuous working capital growth can be used to evaluate CEOs’ performances.

It is the President’s job to take over from the CEO. As a result, the President’s effectiveness has a direct bearing on his or her connection with the CEO.

Seat in the Board

A CEO has a strong foothold on the board of directors.

Whereas, depending on the board, the president might not have a position.

What is CEO?

They are responsible for managing a business’s functions and operations, making significant strategic choices, acting as the main interface here between the management board with business operations, acting as the public face of the corporation, among other things. Chairmanship of the boards is not uncommon for CEOs. Director, executive director, and presidents are also titles that can be used to refer to a CEO.

It is chosen by the owners of the firm and consists of both within and without directors, who are top executives of the business. The board is responsible for establishing company management policy and law decisions on large-scale business matters. 

It’s common for a CEO to serve as a supervisory board, and they’re in control of executive activities, while the CEO is in control of combining business policy with everyday activities. The organizational structure of a corporation is also a factor in determining the responsibilities of its officials. 

Some conglomerates have one chief executive who supervises a multitude of presidents, each of whom is in charge of a distinct business and reports to the very same chief executive officer.

What is President?

It’s not uncommon for a company’s CEO to be the president. If a person is talking about somebody in charge of a section or a key area inside an organization, you’re usually talking about someone who is in charge. In certain cases, the president also serves as the CEO of the company. 

If the organization is young, the president may also be the proprietor. For example, if a CEO has already taken the responsibility of a corporation or organization, the president is the person who is part of the management team. When it comes to business, many presidents are also chief operational officers (COO).

Vice presidents for multiple portions of the firm report to the COO, who is accountable for the everyday functioning of the firm. As a general rule, the board of trustees creates policy, the presidency implements strategy and comes back to the group, and finally, the panel reflects directly to the shareholders, who are ultimately the owners.

Main Differences Between CEO and President

  1. The CEO is believed to be the top ranked employee in the company. Whereas, President is the second in command, just below the Chief Executive Officer.
  2. CEO’s make a pledge to the organization and create a vision for the future. Execution and honoring promises are key to bringing the vision to fruition for the President.
  3. The CEO needs to ensure the management has all the knowledge, and they analyze the surroundings for growth chances. It’s their job to set budgets, steer the organization in the proper direction and cultivate a positive work environment, as well as to lead a team of people. On the other hand, implementing targets, marketing campaigns, overseeing sales, and doing research and innovation are the main duties of the president. A number of other important activities may include optimizing processes, designing and implementing frameworks, and planning for the future of the company.
  4. Innovating gives a business a competitive position in the industry, and that is how a CEO’s performance is judged. Metrics such as earnings per share, return on capital, increased revenues, and continuous working capital growth can be used to evaluate CEOs’ performances. Whereas it is the President’s job to take over from the CEO. As a result, the President’s effectiveness has a direct bearing on his or her connection with the CEO.
  5. A CEO has a strong foothold on the board of directors. Whereas, depending on the board, the president might not have a position.

Conclusion

While it’s rare, a firm without affiliates may have a single person fulfill the positions of CEO, president, and chairman. Decreased interaction and interaction seen between management boards as well as the presidents can be accomplished as a result. All of these are general instances.

Presidents and CEOs do not necessarily report to one other, as well as the CEO might not be the chairman of the board. No matter how it is set up, the fundamental social responsibility of business is to properly maintain the relationship among owners/shareholders and decision-makers to generate shareholder returns.

References

  1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2393058
  2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/corg.12251