CEO vs MD

[DuaneJackson]

Which are you? A CEO or an MD? I've always used "MD" as I've thought CEO was very American and a bit of a poncey title. Although it's popular amongst UK Tech startups.

The Big Boss (my chairman) is telling me I should be CEO now I have a CTO on the board.

All hell broke lose on Twitter when I mentioned it with lots of conflicting info about what the CEO title means. Some saying it's a very junior title, others saying not. Someone even started talking about a CXO!

I know it's really not important in the grand scheme of things - but wondered what your thoughts are.

 

[matt.chatterley]

Which are you? A CEO or an MD? I've always used "MD" as I've thought CEO was very American and a bit of a poncey title. Although it's popular amongst UK Tech startups.

The Big Boss (my chairman) is telling me I should be CEO now I have a CTO on the board.

All hell broke lose on Twitter when I mentioned it with lots of conflicting info about what the CEO title means. Some saying it's a very junior title, others saying not. Someone even started talking about a CXO!

I know it's really not important in the grand scheme of things - but wondered what your thoughts are.

I don't really like "CEO", but have no real justification for that.

I would probably have gone with "Technical Director" instead of "CTO", incidentally - to me "CTO" is again, very americanised - plus I don't really like TLAs for job titles!

 

[Tom McClelland]

For heaven's sake rename your CTO to Technical Director.

IMHO using the director's titles favoured by giant American corporations when running a smallish British Ltd/PLC is the height of inanity. In my experience the companies that do it are full of various other forms of bizarre management crap too. Like the small company that was obsessed with Sarbonnes Oxley (spelling) while neglecting to actually manage itself well enough to make profits. And similar obsessions with making department heads conduct business risk-assessments a la Turnbull. (and then going bust the following week because everyone is too busy with all the management deckchair rearranging to sell things to customers).

I recall the CFO of a company that was also graced with both a CEO and COO who was always banging on in management crapspeak as if he'd swallowed a book from the Harvard Business School. "Maximise ROI this, get low hanging fruit, take a helicopter view". Problem was, if you asked him on the last day of the month what the numbers looked like for that month he invariably had no idea.

Is that enough of a rant for now?

 

[OldWelshGuy]

traditionally it is Chairman then Chief Executive Officer.

 

[Dawg]

If the Big Cheese, (CBC?), wants you to be CEO there might be a reason: if only that it sits better with him, and perhaps those he networks with. If it doesn't bother you, just go with the flow.
On this, his guidance might trump Twitter's.

 

[Tej]

Which are you? A CEO or an MD? I've always used "MD" as I've thought CEO was very American and a bit of a poncey title. Although it's popular amongst UK Tech startups.

The Big Boss (my chairman) is telling me I should be CEO now I have a CTO on the board.

All hell broke lose on Twitter when I mentioned it with lots of conflicting info about what the CEO title means. Some saying it's a very junior title, others saying not. Someone even started talking about a CXO!

I know it's really not important in the grand scheme of things - but wondered what your thoughts are.

Ah!.. XO.. Hennesy springs to mind... age inconnu
Love it

 

[Planck]

I think it partly depends on who you deal with, and what their expectations are. We deal with a lot of old fashioned suppliers, and many of them would wonder what CEO means.

I'm sticking with MD, I prefer the way it sounds.

 

[Guinivere]

Question: I own my own company, so would I put owner on my letters, literature, or MD?

I don't want to sound halway up my own bum but also do not want to mislead anyone.

Also would you put your degree qualifications on business cards or literature for that matter - or it is a question of taste?

 

[i234i]

Hate the term CEO, American sounding and over the top IMO, Don't like it at all.
Much prefer emails from people saying "Managing Director" rather than CEO seems a bit of smoke blowing up ones ...

 

[Tom McClelland]

I'd put MD.

And don't put degree qualifications on business cards. Back 30 years ago when having a degree meant something special it was poserish because a BSc or BA is not a relevant title in a business meeting.

Now 50% of the population go to further education it would just be sad to mention it. You might as well put the number of GCSE's you've got on your business card.

Just my 2p.

 

It don't matter as long as you get the rewards from it

Naw seriously though, I'd probably prefer MD myself, for the reasons you initially state yourself.

Don't go with whatever people say 'sounds right', go with whatever makes you comfortable.

 

[Guinivere]

It's all good advice, thanks peeps, I'll go with MD and leave out the quals.

 

[Zeno]

It's all good advice, thanks peeps, I'll go with MD and leave out the quals.

Leave off any academic qualifications but include professional memberships (but only real ones - ignore Micky Mouse trade associations etc).

I would not bother with MD myself. Seems a little pretentious if it is only you in the company. Plain Director will be fine.

 

[Zeno]

poooooffy, who gives an thing ???? :|
u r showing off ????
just do ur job !!! who cares 2 much
c

People bring many things to this forum. Perhaps the best thing you can bring is silence?

 

As an understated nation, we tend to favour MD, FD etc; however lots of VCs and investors are American-influenced so will like to see the more dramatic titles.


I think it also helps them to create more role division.

So, who are you most trying to impress - clients or investors??

 

[FireFleur]

The US tends for CEO and GB was Managing Director.

How about Big Kahuna.

 

[cjd]

MDs tends to be of small and/or older companies, tho' there are large companies with MDs still. CEOs are generally in larger companies, often international, but it's becoming the norm for new and potentially floating companies to use the term. Obviously CEO is originally yank but now pretty prevalent in UK too. Tends to be used with other titles CFO, CTO, COO etc.

In a small company it can look a bit silly - if you own a single hairdresser's shop,say - it imply that you're not intending to stay small and will be filling all those big jobs with big people as you grow - I suspect that's the message your Chair wishes to project

I opted for CEO for Voipfone - probably because in my last company I was the COO (it had 400 people.) - but mostly because it made me smile.

 

[debbidoo]

hey wots tf the big dramatic movie starzzz ???
cjd do u think as a BOSS ???
how r u or any1 to big 4 there boots ??? :|:|
just do ur work + we do not care 4 poshie titles right ???

Wasn't there something in the forum rules about avoiding "text speak"?

Culprit, every post you've made so far during your very short membership of UKBF has been virtually unreadable. Can you please try to write in proper English so that we over-13s can understand it?

Thanks

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

I am traditional and would say MD, however, CEO is becoming more common.

Why not inject a little fun and become the 'Chief Kashflow Officer' or 'Chief Making Accounting Easier Officer'?

 

[Dawg]

Gonna nick that, ta.
The next card will be CDO, Chief Dawg Officer.

(Really)

 

[cjd]

Gonna nick that, ta.
The next card will be CDO, Chief Dawg Officer.

(Really)

That works for me.

One of our nerdier guys has a card that just says 'geek'.

 

[debbidoo]

That works for me.

One of our nerdier guys has a card that just says 'geek'.

hehe

My cards were going to say "boss" but I bottled out

 

[DuaneJackson]

The original posts on this thread are ancient. My business cards now say "CEO and Founder". I still find it a little uncomfortable and preentious, but hey ho.

I like fun titles on cards. Andy Barr at 10 Yetis PR agency has "Head Yeti". My PA has "Office Manager and PA Extraordinaire"

For letters after your name, wthis was discussed on another thread a while back. The general consensus seemed to be to only use them if they're relevant to your role/business.

Both my CTO and our Lead Developer have computer science degrees. CTO has it on his business card, lead developer insists on it in his email signature.

 

[Astaroth]

Why does your PA have business cards?

In my mind CxO (C-Level) or what ever you want to call this "level" of employees only comes into play when you have group companies. Each business within the group may well have their own Finance Director and therefore the FD with overall responsibility for the group becomes the CFO. Likewise an MD looks after a business, CEO looks after a group.

Ultimately people can call themselves what they want. I dont ever intend to use a CV again so really don't care what I am called. I likewise however don't care what the person I am dealing with is calling themselves as long as they are of an appropriate seniority for the purpose of our conversations

 

[DuaneJackson]

Why does your PA have business cards?

Because they cost next to nothing and make her feel good about her role.

They have a practical use to as she deals with a lot of suppliers face to face.

I dont ever intend to use a CV again so really don't care what I am called. I likewise however don't care what the person I am dealing with is calling themselves as long as they are of an appropriate seniority for the purpose of our conversations

For a lot of the people I deal with, they do care about who they're dealing with and the quickest way to ascertain if someone has the appropriate seniority is a quick look at the job title.

 

[Astaroth]

As proven by the vast number of threads on here of "what to put on my business cards" people can call themselves whatever they want (with a few limitations) and so judging by job title really isnt very accurate. Due to the nature of my roles many of the places I have worked didnt put any job title on the card.

Many years ago I worked in a call centre where everyone on the phone was a customer service manager and if someone demanded to speak to a manager they could legitimately say they were one. Vast majority of customers realised it was a "trick" and switched to asking to speak to their boss/ line manager