Comparison · 10 material differences
Academy for Chief Executives vs Vistage Australia and New Zealand
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
Vistage Australia and New Zealand
CEOs, business owners, founders and senior executives with decision-making authority in established mid-sized or growing businesses in Australia and New Zealand
What the records say
- Role or title — Academy for Chief Executives: Chief Executive or Managing Director, owner or employed leader of the business; Vistage Australia and New Zealand: CEO, business owner, founder or executive with decision-making authority.
- Minimum company revenue — Academy for Chief Executives: Minimum £5 million turnover; Vistage Australia and New Zealand: No published minimum company revenue.
- Minimum employees — Academy for Chief Executives: At least 20 employees; Vistage Australia and New Zealand: No published minimum employees.
- Geographic restriction — Academy for Chief Executives: United Kingdom; Vistage Australia and New Zealand: Australia and New Zealand.
- Annual dues — Academy for Chief Executives: Not publicly disclosed. The Academy never published membership fees and no reliable third-party figure was found.; Vistage Australia and New Zealand: Not publicly disclosed. Vistage Australia publishes no price and routes enquiries to a member advisor..
Side by side
| Academy for Chief Executives | Vistage Australia and New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Peer advisory | Peer advisory |
| Founded | Not documented | 1986 ("In 1986, Dr. Phil Meddings founded TEC Australia in Sydney" per Vistage's March 2024 acquisition release. The underlying TEC format dates to 1957 in Milwaukee.) |
| Headquarters | Hedge End, United Kingdom | Sydney, Australia |
| Geographic footprint | United Kingdom; the Academy ran regional groups led by franchisee Chairs but never published a public list of locations | Australia and New Zealand: groups in Sydney, Newcastle, Tamworth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Toowoomba, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland and Christchurch |
| Members | 400as of January 2015 | 1,000as of March 2024 |
| Chapters | 30 | 10 |
| Primary audience | UK chief executives and managing directors of established mid-market companies | CEOs, business owners, founders and senior executives with decision-making authority in established mid-sized or growing businesses in Australia and New Zealand |
| 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 small and midsize companies. Vistage says the model is designed for leaders managing complexity rather than early-stage start-ups, and that placement weighs leadership role, business size and industry mix. |
| 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, business owner, founder or executive with decision-making authorityFrom the Vistage Australia membership FAQ: "you must be a senior leader such as a CEO, business owner, founder or executive with decision-making authority in a mid-sized or growing business".verified 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 ↗ | No published minimum company revenue |
| 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 ↗ | Australia and New Zealandverified 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 request a confidential, no-obligation conversation with a member advisor, who assesses fit against leadership role and business size and then places the candidate in a non-competing group with a specific Chair. Nomination or sponsorship is not required. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. The Academy published no acceptance data. | Not publicly disclosed. Vistage says members are "selected based on leadership role, business size and ability to actively contribute" 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 | Not publicly disclosed. Vistage Australia publishes no price and routes enquiries to a member advisor.verified September 2026 |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Not documented | Not documented |
| 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 | One full-day or half-day group meeting a month depending on programme, plus regular one-to-one coaching sessions with the Chair |
| Peer forums | Regional groups of non-competing chief executives and managing directors led by a franchisee Academy Chair | Confidential peer advisory groups of 12-16 non-competing CEOs and business owners, each led by a trained Chair |
| Confidentiality | Groups were confidential; the organisation's public material stressed that members could raise issues they could not discuss with staff | Groups are described as confidential and high-trust; Vistage's founding practice was strict confidentiality among non-competing members |
| Time commitment | Historically about one full day a month plus a two-hour mentoring session | Roughly one meeting day a month plus a coaching session, per the published membership commitment |
| 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 | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Not documented | Not documented |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Not documented | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Academy for Chief Executives · Vistage Australia and New Zealand