Comparison · 21 material differences
Academy for Chief Executives vs YPO
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
YPO
Chief executives who joined before their 45th birthday and lead companies that meet YPO's published employee and revenue tests.
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining — Academy for Chief Executives: No published maximum age at joining; YPO: Under 45 years old at acceptance.
- Role or title — Academy for Chief Executives: Chief Executive or Managing Director, owner or employed leader of the business; YPO: President, CEO or Chairperson of the Board (or equivalent), and top operational leader of the company or division.
- Minimum company revenue — Academy for Chief Executives: Minimum £5 million turnover; YPO: USD 16,000,000+ revenue for sales, service and manufacturing companies.
- Minimum employees — Academy for Chief Executives: At least 20 employees; YPO: 50+ full-time employees, or 15+ full-time employees with at least USD 2,750,000 annual employee compensation.
- Annual dues — Academy for Chief Executives: Not publicly disclosed. The Academy never published membership fees and no reliable third-party figure was found.; YPO: $4,790 a year.
Side by side
| Academy for Chief Executives | YPO | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Peer advisory | Peer advisory |
| Founded | Not documented | 1950 (Founded by Ray Hickok, then 27 and running his family's manufacturing business in Rochester, New York; the first meeting was held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.) |
| Headquarters | Hedge End, United Kingdom | Irving, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United Kingdom; the Academy ran regional groups led by franchisee Chairs but never published a public list of locations | Organised into 14 regions; members in more than 142 countries |
| Members | 400as of January 2015 | 38,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 30 | 450 |
| Primary audience | UK chief executives and managing directors of established mid-market companies | Chief executives who joined before their 45th birthday and lead companies that meet YPO's published employee and revenue tests. |
| 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 the top operating executive of their company or division, with full profit-and-loss accountability and hire/fire authority. Qualifying companies are mid-market and larger: at least 50 full-time employees, or 15 employees plus USD 2.75 million of annual employee compensation, with revenue tests from USD 13 million upward depending on business type. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | No published maximum age at joining | Under 45 years old at acceptanceMembers who reach the age limit transition to YPO Gold; a YPO membership-renewal FAQ document states members over 45 with at least 10 years of membership may remain, and that from 1 July 2018 members could early-transition to Gold at 48 after six complete fiscal years. That document dates from 2018 and may no longer be current.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| 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 ↗ | President, CEO or Chairperson of the Board (or equivalent), and top operational leader of the company or divisionRequires final decision-making authority, full P&L accountability, authority to hire and fire across the company or division, and leadership across core business functions.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 ↗ | USD 16,000,000+ revenue for sales, service and manufacturing companiesOne of several alternative company tests.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum employees | At least 20 employeesPer Vistage's 2018 acquisition release.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | 50+ full-time employees, or 15+ full-time employees with at least USD 2,750,000 annual employee compensationverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company valuation | No published minimum company valuation | USD 27,000,000+ enterprise valueAlternative to the revenue tests.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | United Kingdomverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | Not documented |
| 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. | Applications are submitted through YPO's online form in five steps (contact information, requirements, personal details, company details, and terms and fees) and are then reviewed. Candidates are assessed against the published age, title, employee and company-size tests, and are admitted into a specific chapter. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. The Academy published no acceptance data. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed. The Academy never published membership fees and no reliable third-party figure was found.verified September 2026 | $4,790 a yearInternational dues; "pro-rated annual dues (USD 4,790)" on joining, with renewal dues payable on 1 June. Chapter dues are additional.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | $4,790 one-time"One-time initiation fee of USD 4,790.00" stated on YPO's own membership application page.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Local chapter dues | Not publicly disclosed. The organisation no longer trades, so no current fee exists. | Not publicly disclosed. Chapter dues are set by each chapter and are additional to international dues; YPO publishes no global schedule. Individual chapter pages surfaced in search list figures in the roughly USD 4,000-6,000 range, but these are not centrally published and vary widely by city.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Not documented | Annual; international renewal dues payable on 1 June |
| 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 | Forum meetings within the chapter, chapter events, and regional and global events through the year |
| Peer forums | Regional groups of non-competing chief executives and managing directors led by a franchisee Academy Chair | Members are placed in a forum within their chapter. YPO does not publish a standard forum size on its public pages. |
| Confidentiality | Groups were confidential; the organisation's public material stressed that members could raise issues they could not discuss with staff | Forum discussion is conducted under confidentiality norms; YPO does not publish the text of its confidentiality rules publicly. |
| Time commitment | Historically about one full day a month plus a two-hour mentoring session | Not documented |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Chapter-based | Chapter-based, Forum-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Not documented | No |
| 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 | Yes |
| Travel | No | Yes |
| Family programming | No | Yes |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Yes |
| Next-generation programming | No | Yes |
| Investment discussions | Not documented | Not documented |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Not documented |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | High |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Academy for Chief Executives · YPO