The CEO Institute is a global certification body for CEOs, recognising excellence in business leadership. Subject to the Rules for Certification, The CEO Institute offers the Certified CEO (CCEO) designation to Senior Managers and CEOs through either an academic or experiential pathway.

The Institute's Certified CEO designation is a mark of respect and a reason for pride. It sets the gold standard for acknowledging the professional qualifications and experience of business leaders.

Download the Pathways to Certified CEO flow chart (.pdf).

• Knowledge - through a commitment to continued professional development, gaining access to contemporary applied management thinking;
  
  
• Networking - joining an exclusive network of Certified CEOs;
  
  
• Recognition - from achieving the required academic qualifications/experiential learning, combined with extensive experience at CEO or senior management level;
  
  
• Competitive advantage - setting recipients apart from their peers when applying for highly sought after leadership roles;
  
  
• Distinction - the right to call oneself a Certified CEO, and use the prestigious post nominal CCEO (a registered Certification Trade Mark of The CEO Institute);
  
  
• World-class resources - readily accessible content and peer network, helping business leaders gain a global perspective.

Awarding the Certified CEO designation

There are two levels of certification available to The CEO Institute when awarding the Certified CEO designation to those who have fulfilled the requirements via the academic or experiential pathway: 

• Full Certification - this is granted to a Chief Executive Officer¹ or equivalent position with five or more years' experience, who is entitled to use the post nominal CCEO, and has the right to call themselves a Certified CEO.
  
  
• Provisional Certification - this is granted to those who have a minimum of 3 years' senior management experience. Recipients of this designation are entitled to use the post nominal CCEO (prov). 

¹ Note: For the purposes of Full Certification, a Chief Executive Officer or equivalent position is defined as a business leader managing an organisation with a minimum of 20 employees or minimum annual turnover of US$10 M (for use as a guideline only)

Academic Pathway (available world-wide)

The academic pathway is available to CEOs and Senior Managers who have successfully completed the required Certification Course, i.e., a Masters level or higher, eg. Master of Business Administration (MBA), recognised by The CEO Institute, from a University, Business School or Management Institute.

Candidates applying for the Certified CEO designation must have a minimum of 3 years' senior management experience, and undertake a commitment to ongoing professional development through membership of the International Institute of Directors and Managers (IIDM) - a fully owned subsidiary of The CEO Institute.

Candidates who meet the above criteria with more than five years' experience as a Chief Executive Officer or equivalent position are granted Full Certification. Candidates with less than five years' experience as a Chief Executive Officer or equivalent position, or with a minimum of 3 years' senior management experience, will be granted Provisional Certification.

Please complete the Enquiry Form below, to check your eligibility to be a part of our prestigious global Certified CEO network. 

Experiential Pathway (available only in Australia)

Only CEOs can undertake the experiential pathway to the Certified CEO designation. This requires joining The CEO Syndicate® program and becoming a Fellow (attained after five years of continuous membership) of The CEO Institute. Fellows are granted Full Certification, who

1. have attended a minimum of 55 meetings of The CEO Syndicate® program, and
   
   
2. are a financial member of The CEO Syndicate® program to fulfil ongoing professional development obligations after certification, and
   
   
3. have a minimum of five years' experience as a Chief Executive Officer or equivalent position

Fellows who meet the above criteria with less than five years' experience as a Chief Executive or equivalent position, will be granted Provisional Certification.

Experiential learning through active participation in The CEO Syndicate® program is acknowledged to have equipped the membership to address business challenges with greater confidence and knowledge. Members' professional development is influenced by exceptional peer-group mentoring with leading edge business thinking, competent and experienced Syndicate Chairman and access to Expert Resource Speakers acclaimed for their expertise in business and leadership.

Enquiries

Contact the Certified CEO Program Director at cceo@ceo.com.au

CCEO is a registered Certification Trade Mark of The CEO Institute.

The Rules for Certification, approved by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), set out the requirements for the approval of applicants as well as the standards of knowledge, experience and ongoing professional development to be met in order to obtain the Certified CEO designation and use the post nominal. The ACCC, in approving the Rules for Certification, determined that they were satisfied that The CEO Institute demonstrates the attributes necessary to competently undertake the certification role in respect of the Certification Trade Mark.

NB: The Rules for Certification will be made available to all applicants, at the time of applying for the Certified CEO designation.