Comparison · 12 material differences
The CEO Institute 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 The CEO Institute
CEOs, managing directors, founders and business owners in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, with parallel programmes for senior executives, chief people officers and emerging…
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: The CEO Institute: The CEO Syndicate: CEOs, managing directors, founders and business owners who carry ultimate responsibility for their organisation; MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founder.
- Minimum company revenue: The CEO Institute: No published minimum company revenue; MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: annual company revenue $5MM-$5B+.
- Geographic restriction: The CEO Institute: Australia, New Zealand and Singapore for in-person syndicates; online programmes are open more widely; MacKay CEO Forums: Canada.
- Annual dues: The CEO Institute: Not publicly disclosed. The Institute's own FAQ says only: "Membership costs vary depending on the programme, location and membership category."; MacKay CEO Forums: C$12,000 a year.
Side by side
| The CEO Institute | MacKay CEO Forums | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Peer advisory | Peer advisory |
| Founded | 1992 ("The CEO Institute was founded in 1992, in Melbourne Australia. The first meeting of The CEO Syndicate Program was held in June, 1992" per its own About page.) | 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 | Melbourne, Australia | North Vancouver, Canada |
| Geographic footprint | Australia, New Zealand and Singapore: syndicates in Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Parramatta, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Singapore, plus online programmes | Canada: Forum Chairs listed in twelve regions across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed as a current figure. The organisation states it has "supported 5,726 members and alumni, and awarded 718 certifications" since 1992, which is a cumulative total rather than active membership. | 1,300as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 14 | 12 |
| Primary audience | CEOs, managing directors, founders and business owners in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, with parallel programmes for senior executives, chief people officers and emerging leaders | Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size |
| Typical member | Members of The CEO Syndicate are CEOs, managing directors, founders and owners who carry ultimate responsibility for their organisation. The Executive Syndicate takes COOs, CFOs, CPOs, CMOs, CTOs, general managers and divisional heads. No revenue or headcount threshold is published. | 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 | The CEO Syndicate: CEOs, managing directors, founders and business owners who carry ultimate responsibility for their organisationverified September 2026 · source ↗ | CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founderverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | No published minimum company revenue | 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 ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | Australia, New Zealand and Singapore for in-person syndicates; online programmes are open more widelyverified 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 | An enquiry form or brochure request goes to one of the Institute's Directors, who discusses the applicant's role, business and market to establish whether a syndicate is a fit. The Institute then matches the member to a Chair and a group with the right mix of experience, business complexity and industry diversity, checking for conflicts of interest. Membership applications for the face-to-face programme are completed on a form with conditions of membership obtained from the local office. | 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 Institute describes a careful matching process designed to protect syndicate integrity, but publishes no acceptance rate. | Not publicly disclosed. MacKay says peer groups are screened for strategic fit but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed. The Institute's own FAQ says only: "Membership costs vary depending on the programme, location and membership category."verified September 2026 · source ↗ | 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 | CEO Syndicate members meet monthly for half a day, plus breakfast, lunch and summit events and an annual CEO Retreat | Seven forum meetings a year: six full-day sessions plus a two-day retreat; plus speaker sessions and national summits |
| Peer forums | Syndicates of 12-16 non-competing CEOs and founders led by an experienced Chair, matched by region and business complexity | Forums of about 14 carefully matched, non-competing members led by a certified Forum Chair |
| Confidentiality | "Confidentiality is central to The CEO Syndicate experience"; conversations are described as treated with discretion and respect | Confidentiality is one of MacKay's stated core values; forums are described as confidential, judgement-free spaces |
| Time commitment | Half a day a month for the CEO Syndicate, plus optional events | 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, Event-focused, Virtual | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Partial | Not documented |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Partial | Partial |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Yes | Yes |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | Yes |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | Partial | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: The CEO Institute · MacKay CEO Forums