Comparison · 16 material differences
MacKay CEO Forums vs Women Presidents Organization
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 MacKay CEO Forums
Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size
Peer advisory
Women Presidents Organization
Women who own and run privately held companies above WPO's revenue thresholds.
What the records say
- Role or title: MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founder; Women Presidents Organization: Must lead the company and hold primary decision-making authority for day-to-day operations.
- Minimum company revenue: MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: annual company revenue $5MM-$5B+; Women Presidents Organization: US$2,000,000 in gross annual sales for a product-based business.
- Minimum ownership stake: MacKay CEO Forums: No published minimum ownership stake; Women Presidents Organization: Must hold an ownership interest in the business at some level, and the company must be privately held.
- Gender: MacKay CEO Forums: No published gender; Women Presidents Organization: Women business owners.
- Annual dues: MacKay CEO Forums: C$12,000 a year; Women Presidents Organization: $2,000 a year.
Side by side
| MacKay CEO Forums | Women Presidents Organization | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Peer advisory | Peer advisory |
| Founded | 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.) | 1997 (Founded by Marsha Firestone; the first chapter was started in New York City.) |
| Headquarters | North Vancouver, Canada | New York, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Canada: Forum Chairs listed in twelve regions across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia | Chapters across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, South Africa and Australia |
| Members | 1,300as of September 2026 | Not currently disclosed. WPO does not publish a member total on its site; a 2022 account records 2,000 members across 137 chapters, which is now out of date. |
| Chapters | 12 | 145 |
| Primary audience | Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size | Women who own and run privately held companies above WPO's revenue thresholds. |
| Typical member | 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. | Members are women who lead their own privately held companies, hold day-to-day decision-making authority and have an ownership interest. The entry threshold is US$2 million in gross annual sales for product-based businesses and US$1 million for service-based businesses, with higher tiers at US$10 million (Platinum) and US$50 million (Zenith). |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founderverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Must lead the company and hold primary decision-making authority for day-to-day operationsverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| 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 ↗ | US$2,000,000 in gross annual sales for a product-based businessBase (Chapter Member and Member-at-Large) threshold.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum ownership stake | No published minimum ownership stake | Must hold an ownership interest in the business at some level, and the company must be privately heldverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Gender | No published gender | Women business ownersverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | CanadaForum Chairs are listed only in Canadian regions.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | Not documented |
| Application process | 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. | Candidates apply and, if they meet the ownership, authority and revenue tests, are placed in a chapter in their geographic area. Women who meet the criteria but cannot access a chapter for geographic or other reasons can join as a Member-at-Large. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. MacKay says peer groups are screened for strategic fit but publishes no acceptance rate. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | C$12,000 a yearCEO Membership: "$12,000 (full year)". Prices are quoted before GST/HST.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $2,000 a yearStated by Women Presidents' Organization (2021-12-09): WPO Chapter Member (global, USD; $1M+ service / $2M+ product revenue). “CHAPTER ANNUAL FEE: $2,000”verified October 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee is mentioned on the membership pages.verified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed |
| Membership term | Annual (dues quoted as "full year") | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Seven forum meetings a year: six full-day sessions plus a two-day retreat; plus speaker sessions and national summits | Monthly chapter meetings for Chapter Members; Platinum and Zenith groups meet three times a year |
| Peer forums | Forums of about 14 carefully matched, non-competing members led by a certified Forum Chair | Chapters draw members from diverse non-competing industries and are facilitated by a professionally trained Chapter Chair. Chapter size is reported at a maximum of 20 members, a figure WPO does not confirm on its own pages. |
| Confidentiality | Confidentiality is one of MacKay's stated core values; forums are described as confidential, judgement-free spaces | Chapter meetings are confidential; members share business expertise in confidence. |
| Time commitment | Roughly eight meeting days a year at full attendance; members must attend at least four of the seven meetings | Not documented |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused | Chapter-based, Forum-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Not documented | Partial |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Partial | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Yes | Partial |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | Yes | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | Not documented |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: MacKay CEO Forums · Women Presidents Organization