Corporate director vs finance director

The differences between corporate directors and finance directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a corporate director and a finance director. Additionally, a corporate director has an average salary of $154,906, which is higher than the $118,518 average annual salary of a finance director.

The top three skills for a corporate director include project management, oversight and customer service. The most important skills for a finance director are CPA, financial analysis, and payroll.

Corporate director vs finance director overview

	Corporate Director	Finance Director
Yearly salary	$154,906	$118,518
Hourly rate	$74.47	$56.98
Growth rate	5%	17%
Number of jobs	66,254	90,012
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a corporate director do?

A corporate director is a business individual who is an elected or appointed member of the board of directors that directs or manages a corporation. Corporate directors are responsible for making decisions regarding the supervision of the entire enterprise as well as their products and services. They are in control of others' property and are liable to both their individual and joint actions. Corporate directors are also bound by the duty to act within the scope of their authority and must exercise due care in the performance of their corporate tasks.

What does a finance director do?

A finance director's role is to oversee all financial activities and aspects of a company or organization. One of their duties is to gather necessary financial data and cultivate reports on essential matters such as revenue and budget, provide risk assessments and estimates, implement vital policies, and allocate funds within the company. Furthermore, a finance director must also devise strategies and recommend innovative methods for financial gains, while in adherence to the organization's policies and regulations.

Corporate director vs finance director salary

Corporate directors and finance directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Corporate Director	Finance Director
Average salary	$154,906	$118,518
Salary range	Between $102,000 And $233,000	Between $76,000 And $183,000
Highest paying City	Beaverton, OR	Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state	Oregon	California
Best paying company	AbbVie	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Manufacturing

Differences between corporate director and finance director education

There are a few differences between a corporate director and a finance director in terms of educational background:

	Corporate Director	Finance Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Corporate director vs finance director demographics

Here are the differences between corporate directors' and finance directors' demographics:

	Corporate Director	Finance Director
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 66.4% Female, 33.6%	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 9.4% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	7%	11%

Differences between corporate director and finance director duties and responsibilities

Corporate director example responsibilities.

Lead corporate governance and compliance functions and manage securities law and relate issues for ESOP (employee-own) enterprise.
Manage RFP for selection of new benefit consultants.
Manage the RFP development and review process through to vendor selection and contract finalization.
Manage accounting staff to provide accurate financial close in compliance with all internal control and SOX requirements.
Manage EHS compliance for a large-scale construction company specializing in smokestack construction.
Manage activities of divisional quality representatives for compliance to ISO 9001 and quality initiatives.

Finance director example responsibilities.

Manage treasury functions considering the inflationary situation and changes in economic patterns to minimize any negative impact they may involve.
Improve internal controls and operating efficiency by training accountants and converting general ledger reconciliations to GAAP formats.
Prepare financial data and footnotes for independent CPA annual audit financial statements.
Develop financial models in Hyperion to aggregate sales data and allocate expenses for profitability analysis.
Complete Sarbanes-Oxley procedural requirements for entire incentive development, administration and reporting process.
Develop an electronic billing capacity and are the first Montana health care provider to bill Medicaid electronically.

Corporate director vs finance director skills

Common corporate director skills

Project Management, 7%
Oversight, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Financial Statements, 5%
Patients, 5%
Business Development, 4%

Common finance director skills

CPA, 7%
Financial Analysis, 6%
Payroll, 4%
Work Ethic, 4%
Oversight, 4%
Financial Management, 4%

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Corporate Director
Corporate Director vs Finance Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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