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.

In order to avoid what some see as sexist assumptions with use of the term chairman, the position is more often referred to as chairperson or simply chair. 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

Function

Typically, a chairperson is responsible for determining the final agenda for each meeting, ensuring that all issues raised during it are addressed, and ensuring all participants operate within the rules of order – rules previously defined and agreed to for the group.

A rotating chair is a person who functions in that capacity only for that meeting and will cede it to another for the next meeting.

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 fulfulling a similar function on a number of

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 points 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).
• A character by the name of Chairperson appears in Capcom's Rival Schools games. Vorsitzender

Voorzitter Ordförande 会長