Comparison · 16 material differences
CFO Leadership Council vs ICSC
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
Professional association
Verified September 2026 CFO Leadership Council
Senior finance executives - CFOs, VPs and directors of finance, controllers and chief accounting officers - at companies across the United States and Canada
Professional association
ICSC
Owners, developers, managers, investors, brokers and marketers of shopping centres and other retail and mixed-use property, plus retailers, public officials and academics
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining: CFO Leadership Council: No published maximum age at joining; ICSC: Next Generation membership: industry professionals under 40.
- Role or title: CFO Leadership Council: CFO, VP of Finance, Director of Finance, Controller or a comparable senior financial leadership role; ICSC: No published role or title.
- Geographic restriction: CFO Leadership Council: United States and Canada, or the virtual chapter from anywhere; ICSC: No published geographic restriction.
- Industry restriction: CFO Leadership Council: No published industry restriction; ICSC: Standard membership: companies and individuals who own, develop, manage or support marketplaces and spaces (excludes retailers and tenants).
- Annual dues: CFO Leadership Council: $495 a year; ICSC: $300 a year.
Side by side
| CFO Leadership Council | ICSC | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 2006 ("Back in 2006, it all began on the world-renowned MIT campus in Cambridge, MA as an informal gathering of finance executives" per the organisation's About page. Jack McCullough, an MIT Sloan graduate, is president and founder.) | 1957 (ICSC's own account: "With a $500 payment and a handshake, seven enterprising professionals established ICSC in a downtown Chicago hotel in 1957.") |
| Headquarters | Boston, United States | New York, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United States and Canada: 35 metropolitan chapters plus a virtual chapter | Global; ICSC runs regional divisions and works with national and regional shopping centre councils worldwide, and holds a Washington DC office alongside its New York headquarters |
| Members | 3,000as of September 2026 | 70,000as of May 2026 |
| Chapters | 36 | Not publicly disclosed as a single figure. ICSC organises by region and division rather than by named chapters, and Wikipedia reports relationships with more than 25 national and regional shopping centre councils. |
| Primary audience | Senior finance executives - CFOs, VPs and directors of finance, controllers and chief accounting officers - at companies across the United States and Canada | Owners, developers, managers, investors, brokers and marketers of shopping centres and other retail and mixed-use property, plus retailers, public officials and academics |
| Typical member | Members are CFOs, senior vice presidents and vice presidents of finance, directors of FP&A, controllers, chief accounting officers, directors of finance and comparable senior finance leaders. There is no published company-size threshold; the organisation vets for seniority rather than employer scale. | Membership spans the retail property chain: shopping centre owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers and brokers, together with academics and public officials. ICSC's own pricing distinguishes companies and individuals who own, develop, manage or support marketplaces from retailers and tenants, who pay a lower rate. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | No published maximum age at joining | Next Generation membership: industry professionals under 40A discounted category, not a barrier to joining.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Role or title | CFO, VP of Finance, Director of Finance, Controller or a comparable senior financial leadership roleThe Council also lists SVPs, directors of FP&A and chief accounting officers as qualifying titles.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published role or title |
| Geographic restriction | United States and Canada, or the virtual chapter from anywhereverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Industry restriction | No published industry restriction | Standard membership: companies and individuals who own, develop, manage or support marketplaces and spaces (excludes retailers and tenants)Retailers and tenants have their own lower-priced category.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Prospective members join online through the website and select a chapter. Eligibility is assessed on title; candidates unsure whether they qualify are invited to email the organisation. There is no sponsor, nomination or committee stage. | Applicants join online through the ICSC membership pages, choosing a member type. Categories with reduced rates require documentary proof: government letterhead for public sector applicants, a university ID for academics, and a transcript, course list or registrar's letter for students. There is no sponsor, interview or committee stage in the published process. |
| Selectivity | No acceptance rate is published. The Council says it is "the only senior finance leadership community that strictly controls entry, ensuring seniority and value", but publishes no data on rejections. | Not publicly disclosed; the published route is open enrolment with eligibility set by the type of business the applicant is in. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $495 a yearSingle published tier: $495 per year, covering local chapter events, national virtual events, CFO Connect and conference discounts. The Council offers a full refund if a member sees no benefit in the first month.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $300 a yearStandard membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | No joining fee is published or mentioned.verified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee is listed alongside the published dues.verified September 2026 |
| Event costs | National conferences carry separate registration fees; members receive discounts. Amounts vary by event and are not published as a standing figure.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not recorded here. ICSC's conferences are separately ticketed and are the main cost of participation, but rates vary by event and were not read for this record.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Annual, with a full refund offered if no benefit is felt in the first month | Annual |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Monthly local chapter programmes, national webinars through the year, and two national conferences | A year-round conference programme including ICSC Las Vegas and ICSC New York, plus regional and state conferences |
| Peer forums | No standing facilitated forum. Members use CFO Connect, a confidential online forum, and can join mastermind groups organised by industry or interest | No confidential peer forum structure is published; participation is through events, divisions and committees |
| Confidentiality | CFO Connect is described as a confidential online forum and the organisation publishes a member code of conduct; chapter meetings are described as a comfortable, confidential setting | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Event-focused, Chapter-based |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | No |
| Local chapters | Yes | Partial |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Partial |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | No | Yes |
| Investment discussions | No | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | No | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: CFO Leadership Council · ICSC