A chief executive officer, chief administrator, or just chief executive, is one of a number of corporate executives in charge of managing an organization – especially an independent legal entity such as a company or nonprofit institution.

Is a CEO an owner?

The title of CEO is typically given to someone by the board of directors. Owner as a job title is earned by sole proprietors and entrepreneurs who have total ownership of the business. But these job titles are not mutually exclusive — CEOs can be owners and owners can be CEOs.

What exactly is a CEO?

The chief executive officer (CEO) is the highest-ranking person in a company. ... CEOs manage the overall operations of a company. Across many companies, CEOs are elected by the board of directors.