The Chair and CEO relationship
Assuming you separate the roles of Chair and CEO (as recommended by provision 9 of the UK Corporate Governance Code 2024, and common in charities where the Chair is a volunteer trustee and the CEO is a member of staff), the relationship between the two individuals is crucial to the performance of the organisation.
The following matrix outlines the combinations of a strong or weak Chair and CEO:
| Chair | CEO | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Strong | Strong | Best outcome |
| Strong | Weak | Ineffective day to day leadership |
| Weak | Strong | CEO faces little / no scrutiny |
| Weak | Weak | Worst outcome, ineffective day to day and strategic leadership |