Comparison · 12 material differences
CEO Global Network vs REF
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 CEO Global Network
CEOs, business owners and senior executives of Canadian companies
Peer advisory
REF
CEOs, owners and presidents, with parallel tracks for C-suite executives reporting to the CEO and for high-potential managers on leadership programmes
What the records say
- Role or title: CEO Global Network: CEO, business owner or senior executive; a separate programme exists for senior executives who are not CEOs; REF: Top Executive track: CEO, owner, president or equivalent.
- Geographic restriction: CEO Global Network: Canada; REF: No published geographic restriction.
- Annual dues: CEO Global Network: Not publicly disclosed; REF: Not publicly disclosed. REF publishes no membership price; the Peer Resources directory also recorded fees as unavailable at publication. Members are described elsewhere as paying monthly dues..
Side by side
| CEO Global Network | REF | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Peer advisory | Peer advisory |
| Founded | Not documented | 1994 (Entrepreneur's franchise directory records the company as founded in 1994 and franchising since 1994. REF's own site says only "Founded 30 years ago in the USA" and "With 30 years of experience", which is consistent.) |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Canada | San Diego, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Canada; the organisation describes its members as leaders of Canadian companies and does not publish a list of group locations | 51 locations across 20 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and Asia; the largest concentration is in Latin America |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed | 3,000as of January 2025 |
| Chapters | Not publicly disclosed | 51 |
| Primary audience | CEOs, business owners and senior executives of Canadian companies | CEOs, owners and presidents, with parallel tracks for C-suite executives reporting to the CEO and for high-potential managers on leadership programmes |
| Typical member | CEO Global Network describes members as leaders of "Canada's fastest-growing and most successful companies". It publishes no revenue, employee-count or net-worth threshold and no member demographics. | Members are CEOs, owners and presidents of non-competing businesses, plus CXOs and upper management reporting directly to the CEO in the Key Executive track and high performers selected for leadership programmes in the High Potentials track. REF publishes no revenue or headcount threshold, though its application form asks for employee count and revenue. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | CEO, business owner or senior executive; a separate programme exists for senior executives who are not CEOsThe organisation does not publish a formal title test.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Top Executive track: CEO, owner, president or equivalentREF's own application page lists the candidate requirements for each track.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | CanadaMembers are described as leaders of Canadian companies; no other country is named.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | Sometimes |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Applicants submit a request-information form on the website, optionally complete an online self-assessment, then take a discovery call of roughly 20-30 minutes with the organisation. Fit is assessed against the organisation's stated core values and member expectations before placement in a group. | Applicants complete an online form selecting one of three tracks (Top Executive, Key Executive or High Potentials) and supplying title, industry, city, country, employee count and revenue. REF then contacts the candidate and, if accepted, places them in a local Forum of non-competing executives with a certified Forum Leader. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. The organisation says it applies a "rigorous membership screening process" and values "quality over quantity" but publishes no acceptance data. | Not publicly disclosed. REF describes its peer groups as "by invitation only" while operating a public application form, and publishes no acceptance data. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed. REF publishes no membership price; the Peer Resources directory also recorded fees as unavailable at publication. Members are described elsewhere as paying monthly dues.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Not documented | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Regular peer group meetings plus a monthly one-to-one session of about two hours with the Group Leader, and learning events through the year | One Forum morning each month, plus webinars, community events and curated trips and retreats |
| Peer forums | Chair-led ("Group Leader") peer groups of non-competing members; the senior-executive programme uses groups of up to 16 | Forums of 12-15 executives from non-competing industries, led by a certified REF Forum Leader, meeting monthly in a three-part structure: expert insight, round table, and a member case |
| Confidentiality | Confidentiality is listed among the organisation's core values and groups are described as confidential; no written member code is published | Forums are described as confidential, high-trust environments built on transparency and trust; one senior figure calls the Forum a "Circle of Trust" |
| Time commitment | Not documented | One morning a month for the Forum, plus optional events |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Event-focused | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Partial | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Not documented | Not documented |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Partial | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Not documented | Yes |
| Travel | No | Yes |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | Partial |
| Investment discussions | Not documented | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: CEO Global Network · REF