Chief strategy officer vs managing director

The differences between chief strategy officers and managing directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a chief strategy officer and a managing director. Additionally, a chief strategy officer has an average salary of $163,192, which is higher than the $129,690 average annual salary of a managing director.

The top three skills for a chief strategy officer include business development, CSO and strategic vision. The most important skills for a managing director are healthcare, portfolio, and business development.

Chief strategy officer vs managing director overview

	Chief Strategy Officer	Managing Director
Yearly salary	$163,192	$129,690
Hourly rate	$78.46	$62.35
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	93,147	81,022
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does a chief strategy officer do?

A chief strategy officer or chief strategist is an executive leader in an organization responsible for assisting the chief executive officer with communicating, developing, and sustaining business corporate strategic initiatives and the company's overall goals. This is a senior executive role and a big responsibility for holding the top strategy part. They focus on implementing a company's strategy, both internally and externally. They ensure to communicate to all employees, business partners, suppliers, and contractors to know the importance of a company-wide strategic plan.

What does a managing director do?

A Managing Director oversees workflow and progress, making sure that all operations align within the company or organization's mission or set of goals. They are responsible for crafting strategies, devising effective business plans, and executing guidelines that would nurture a company's growth, and as well as to be the driving force that would direct employees to the company's objectives. Furthermore, a Managing Director must coordinate with those in a higher position, such as the members of the board.

Chief strategy officer vs managing director salary

Chief strategy officers and managing directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Strategy Officer	Managing Director
Average salary	$163,192	$129,690
Salary range	Between $103,000 And $257,000	Between $72,000 And $233,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Norton Rose Fulbright	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between chief strategy officer and managing director education

There are a few differences between a chief strategy officer and a managing director in terms of educational background:

	Chief Strategy Officer	Managing Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Chief strategy officer vs managing director demographics

Here are the differences between chief strategy officers' and managing directors' demographics:

	Chief Strategy Officer	Managing Director
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between chief strategy officer and managing director duties and responsibilities

Chief strategy officer example responsibilities.

Establish and manage SLA process.
Manage PPC, SEM and affiliate marketing goals, objectives and strategies.
Lead rebranding and comprehensive redesign of website, print and booth assets.
Manage web content and social media guidelines in alignment with e-marketing strategy and SEM priorities.
Upgrade and manage organization VoIP phone system with 8x8 both internally and for remote employees through virtual desktop.
Manage creation of strategic business and marketing plans for B2B and B2C companies in various industries and markets.

Managing director example responsibilities.

Create and manage the social media presence via a festival page on Facebook.
Manage all consulting resources and have overall P/L responsibilities for the Atlanta office.
Manage the lessee and lessor relationships regarding exchange seat leases with major markets, such as NYSE, AMEX, CBOE.
Manage denials and expedite managed care appeals (reimbursement reconsideration).
Manage payroll processing for thousands of industrial temporary workers and bill respective clients.
Manage the Ketera SaaS relationship for IBM with engagement development and profitability responsibilities.

Chief strategy officer vs managing director skills

Common chief strategy officer skills

Business Development, 10%
CSO, 8%
Strategic Vision, 7%
Brand Marketing, 6%
Business Plan, 5%
Strategy Development, 5%

Common managing director skills

Healthcare, 7%
Portfolio, 7%
Business Development, 6%
Oversight, 6%
Project Management, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

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Chief Strategy Officer
Chief Strategy Officer vs Managing Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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