How to become a managing director or Chief executive officer

Official title: Managing director/Chief executive officer

Also called: Chief executive (company), Chief executive officer (CEO) (company), Executive director (company), Managing director (company), Chief Executive Officer, Chief Executive Officer/Chief Operating Officer/Managing Director/Country Manager, Chief Executive Officer/Chief Operating Officer/Managing Director/General Manager, Chief Executive Officer/General Manager/President, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director/General Manager/President, Chief Executive/Managing Director, General Manager/Managing Director/Vice-President, Managing Director

Managing director/Chief executive officer participates as member of board of directors to formulate and review the policies and plan, direct, coordinate and evaluate the overall activities of enterprises or organisations with the support of other managers.

Main tasks

• Planning, directing and coordinating the general functioning of an enterprise or organisation
• Determining objectives, strategies, policies and programmes for the enterprise or organisation
• Providing overall leadership and management to the enterprise or organisation
• Establishing and managing budgets, controlling expenditure and ensuring the efficient use of resources
• Authorising material, human and financial resources to implement organisational policies and programmes
• Monitoring and evaluating performance of the organisation or enterprise against established objectives and policies
• Consulting with senior subordinate staff and reviewing recommendations and reports
• Representing the organisation at official occasions and board meetings, in negotiations, at conventions, seminars, public hearings and forums

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $156,000 a year. The middle half earn $72,780 to $240,000 a year.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Company director
• Chief operating officer/General manager

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Questions people ask

How much does a managing director or Chief executive officer earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $156,000 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $72,780 to $240,000.

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

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

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, 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