Comparison · 12 material differences
MacKay CEO Forums 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 MacKay CEO Forums
Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size
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 — MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founder; REF: Top Executive track: CEO, owner, president or equivalent.
- Minimum company revenue — MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: annual company revenue $5MM-$5B+; REF: No published minimum company revenue.
- Geographic restriction — MacKay CEO Forums: Canada; REF: No published geographic restriction.
- Annual dues — MacKay CEO Forums: C$12,000 a year; 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
| MacKay CEO Forums | REF | |
|---|---|---|
| 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.) | 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 | North Vancouver, Canada | San Diego, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Canada: Forum Chairs listed in twelve regions across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia | 51 locations across 20 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and Asia; the largest concentration is in Latin America |
| Members | 1,300as of September 2026 | 3,000as of January 2025 |
| Chapters | 12 | 51 |
| Primary audience | Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size | 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 | 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 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 Membership: CEO, business owner or founderverified 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 ↗ |
| 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 ↗ | No published minimum company revenue |
| Geographic restriction | CanadaForum Chairs are listed only in Canadian regions.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | Sometimes |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| 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. | 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. MacKay says peer groups are screened for strategic fit but publishes no acceptance rate. | 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 | C$12,000 a yearCEO Membership: "$12,000 (full year)". Prices are quoted before GST/HST.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | 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 disclosed; no joining fee is mentioned on the membership pages.verified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| 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 | One Forum morning each month, plus webinars, community events and curated trips and retreats |
| Peer forums | Forums of about 14 carefully matched, non-competing members led by a certified Forum Chair | 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 one of MacKay's stated core values; forums are described as confidential, judgement-free spaces | 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 | Roughly eight meeting days a year at full attendance; members must attend at least four of the seven meetings | One morning a month for the Forum, plus optional events |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Not documented | Not documented |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Partial | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Yes | Yes |
| Travel | No | Yes |
| Family programming | Yes | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | Partial |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: MacKay CEO Forums · REF