Comparison · 15 material differences
Academy for Chief Executives vs MacKay CEO Forums
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Peer advisory
Verified September 2026 Academy for Chief Executives
UK chief executives and managing directors of established mid-market companies
Peer advisory
MacKay CEO Forums
Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size
What the records say
- Role or title: Academy for Chief Executives: Chief Executive or Managing Director, owner or employed leader of the business; MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founder.
- Minimum employees: Academy for Chief Executives: At least 20 employees; MacKay CEO Forums: No published minimum employees.
- Geographic restriction: Academy for Chief Executives: United Kingdom; MacKay CEO Forums: Canada.
- Annual dues: Academy for Chief Executives: Not publicly disclosed. The Academy never published membership fees and no reliable third-party figure was found.; MacKay CEO Forums: C$12,000 a year.
Side by side
| Academy for Chief Executives | MacKay CEO Forums | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Peer advisory | Peer advisory |
| Founded | Not documented | 2005 (MacKay's own pages say "more than 20 years" and cite "5,000+ Alumni members across Canada over 20 years" without naming a year; the Peer Resources directory dates the founding to 2005. Nancy MacKay, PhD is listed as Founder and CEO on the leadership page.) |
| Headquarters | Hedge End, United Kingdom | North Vancouver, Canada |
| Geographic footprint | United Kingdom; the Academy ran regional groups led by franchisee Chairs but never published a public list of locations | Canada: Forum Chairs listed in twelve regions across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia |
| Members | 400as of January 2015 | 1,300as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 30 | 12 |
| Primary audience | UK chief executives and managing directors of established mid-market companies | Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size |
| Typical member | Vistage's acquisition release described Academy members as "U.K. based business leaders, Chief Executives or Managing Directors, owners or employed leaders of companies with a minimum of £5 million turnover and at least 20 employees". A 2015 trade profile put the member range at £2 million to £200 million turnover, so the threshold appears to have tightened over time. | Members are chief executives, owners and senior executives of Canadian companies with revenue from about $5 million to over $5 billion, with a separate tier for companies above $1 billion. MacKay states that 37% of members are women. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | Chief Executive or Managing Director, owner or employed leader of the businessPer Vistage's 2018 acquisition release describing Academy membership.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founderverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | Minimum £5 million turnoverPer Vistage's 2018 acquisition release. A 2015 trade profile described the member range as £2m-£200m turnover, suggesting the published floor rose over time.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | CEO Membership: annual company revenue $5MM-$5B+Currency is not stated on the page; MacKay prices in Canadian dollars plus GST/HST.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum employees | At least 20 employeesPer Vistage's 2018 acquisition release.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum employees |
| Geographic restriction | United Kingdomverified September 2026 · source ↗ | CanadaForum Chairs are listed only in Canadian regions.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Historically, prospective members were recruited by a regional Academy Chair, who ran the fit assessment and placed the member in a non-conflicting group. No public application portal survives; enquiries now route to Vistage UK. | Prospective members apply through the Join MacKay pages or by contacting the office, then are screened for strategic fit and matched to a forum of non-competing peers. Community members may be invited to sit in on a full-day forum meeting before committing to a forum tier. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. The Academy published no acceptance data. | Not publicly disclosed. MacKay says peer groups are screened for strategic fit but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed. The Academy never published membership fees and no reliable third-party figure was found.verified September 2026 | C$12,000 a yearCEO Membership: "$12,000 (full year)". Prices are quoted before GST/HST.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee is mentioned on the membership pages.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Not documented | Annual (dues quoted as "full year") |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Historically monthly full-day group meetings hosted in rotation by members, plus a roughly two-hour one-to-one mentoring session with the Chair | Seven forum meetings a year: six full-day sessions plus a two-day retreat; plus speaker sessions and national summits |
| Peer forums | Regional groups of non-competing chief executives and managing directors led by a franchisee Academy Chair | Forums of about 14 carefully matched, non-competing members led by a certified Forum Chair |
| Confidentiality | Groups were confidential; the organisation's public material stressed that members could raise issues they could not discuss with staff | Confidentiality is one of MacKay's stated core values; forums are described as confidential, judgement-free spaces |
| Time commitment | Historically about one full day a month plus a two-hour mentoring session | Roughly eight meeting days a year at full attendance; members must attend at least four of the seven meetings |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Chapter-based | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Not documented | Not documented |
| Online community | Not documented | Yes |
| Member directory | Not documented | Partial |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Not documented | Yes |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | Yes |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Not documented | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Academy for Chief Executives · MacKay CEO Forums