How to become a managing director or chief executive

Official title: Managing directors and chief executives

Also called: Chief executive, Managing director, Regional manager

Managing directors and chief executives formulate and review the policies, and plan, direct, coordinate and evaluate the overall activities, of enterprises or organizations (except special-interest organizations and government departments) with the support of other managers, usually within guidelines established by a board of directors or a governing body to whom they are answerable for the operations undertaken and results.

Main tasks

• Planning, directing and coordinating the general functioning of an enterprise or organization
• Reviewing the operations and results of the enterprise or organization and reporting to boards of directors and governing bodies
• Determining objectives, strategies, policies and programmes for the enterprise or organization
• Providing overall leadership and management to the enterprise or organization
• Establishing and managing budgets, controlling expenditure and ensuring the efficient use of resources
• Authorizing material, human and financial resources to implement organizational policies and programmes
• Monitoring and evaluating performance of the organization or enterprise against established objectives and policies
• Consulting with senior subordinate staff and reviewing recommendations and reports
• Representing the organization at official occasions and board meetings, in negotiations and at conventions, seminars, public hearings and forums
• Selecting or approving the selection of senior staff

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: HK$50,000 a month
• About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a managing director or chief executive?

Usually. 66% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a managing director or chief executive?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026