CEO

The word “CEO” means chief Executive Officer: the person with overall responsibility for running a company. In plain terms, the top executive who runs a company day to day, reporting to the board.

Here is “CEO” used in a sentence: “The CEO announced record profits at the shareholder meeting.”

“CEO” is a noun.

“CEO” is a fairly common word in modern English.

CEO stands for Chief Executive Officer. It is the title given to the highest-ranking executive in a company, the person with overall responsibility for running the business, setting its strategy, and answering to the board of directors. The initials are usually said letter by letter, as C-E-O, rather than as a single word.

A founder is the person who started the company, a fact of history that never changes. A CEO is whoever currently holds the top leadership role, responsible for running it day to day. Often the founder is also the first CEO, but a company can hire an outside CEO while the founder steps back.

In many companies the CEO is the highest authority, setting overall strategy and answering to the board, while the president ranks just below and oversees day-to-day operations. In smaller firms one person may hold both titles. The exact split of duties varies, but the CEO usually outranks the president.

A CEO sets the company's overall direction, makes major strategic decisions, and takes ultimate responsibility for its success or failure. They lead the senior management team, represent the company to investors and the public, and report to the board of directors. The role is about steering the whole business rather than managing one department.