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For other uses of the term chair, please see chair (disambiguation).

A chairperson is the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or other deliberative body.

The term, or simply chair, are used increasingly to avoid what some perceive as sexist assumptions with use of the term chairman. Alternatively, the title of chairwoman is sometimes used if the incumbent is female.

While chairperson dates from the 1970s, the use of chair (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) to refer to someone in charge of a meeting dates from as early as 1658.

Types

Generally, there are two types of chairpersons: non-executive and executive.

A non-executive chairperson will sit on and chair the main board of a company and be a part-time officer who usually provides support and advice to a chief executive officer (CEO). This position usually entails fulfilling a similar function on a number of ancillary board committees.

An executive chairperson is a full-time position who typically not only leads the board but will also take a hands-on role in the companies day to day running. An executive chairperson frequently sits on the management executive board of the company, though this board may still be led by the CEO.

Corporate governance

So far as the boards of public companies are concerned, the role of the chairman of the board as distinct from that of the company's CEO or managing director has more recently been brought into focus, stemming from alleged corporate governance shortcomings observed in companies where the two roles are combined. A pivotal document regarding effective governance is the Cadbury Report, the recommendations of which have been adopted to greater or lesser extent by the European Union, the United States, the World Bank, and others.

It is common for board members to hold memberships of several boards and committees at once. Diversifying board memberships gives a broader sense of what is appropriate when making decisions.

A chairperson is selected by a company's shareholders. A chairperson's role is often to build a consensus from what can be disparate point of view. Therefore, the chairperson must be fair, a good listener, and a good communicator.

Other uses

• In the People's Republic of China, the title of "Chairman" is often used interchangeably with that of "President" (e.g., Chairman Mao).
• Chairperson is the English name of Iincyo from Capcom's Rival Schools games.
• The Chairman (董事長樂團) is a Taiwan-based rock group formed in 1997.

• Management occupations
• Parliamentary procedure