Managing Directors or Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are the most senior person at a company, they are in charge of the direction of the business and have final sign off on all big changes and plans. They usually report to a board of directors, or have a team of advisors who assist with making management decisions and ensure the company stays on track and aligned with its mission. 

In smaller fashion businesses, it may be that the designer is also a founder and CEO of the company, and when the company achieves a certain level of growth then hires in an external CEO to manage the business. CEOs may be hired from outside the business to bring in external expertise, or in larger businesses, they may be hired from within having worked their way up the ladder internally. 

Although a number of CEOs don’t have a business qualification and achieve this position through experience or the success of their own career path many other CEOs do. The  they will be overseeing all aspects of the company, staffing, budgets, operations, legal and all outputs. Management experience for large teams is also essential as CEOs lead directors of each department who will report up and be the ones actioning any guidance. Confidence, communication skills, in depth knowledge of the business goals and sector are all skills that would help make a successful CEO.

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