Director (business)

The word "Director" refers to a senior member of the management team in enterprises and other major organisations.

The phrase is often used to refer to two separate meanings, the choice of which is impacted by the scale and worldwide reach of the organisation, as well as the historical and geographical environment in which the organisation operates. In addition, the phrase is used in relation to a variety of technical (legal) meanings that are particular to corporate governance regulations in different nations throughout the world.

As a result, a director may be any of the following:

Someone appointed to serve as the most senior manager of the company (managing director) or of a key function (finance director, operations director, etc.), in which case the title is analogous to and replaces the "C-Suite" titles, could be considered to be a manager in the British English sense of the term. A member of a group of managers who is in charge of or manages a certain region of a corporation, which might be regarded the American English definition of the term. When it comes to the legal meaning of the term "directorship," a person who holds that position has particular legal obligations and responsibilities for the administration of the firm to which they have been assigned to the board of directors. It would be usual for organisations that use this phrase in the later (American English) connotation to have directors who are dispersed across several company areas or responsibilities (e.g. director of human resources). In such cases, the director is often responsible for reporting directly to a vice president or to the CEO in order to keep them informed of the organization's accomplishments. Large corporations may also have "assistant" or "deputy" directors, who are responsible for certain tasks. A director is often considered the lowest level of executive in a company in this sense, however many major corporations choose to use the title of associate director rather than director on a regular basis.

To be designated as a "executive director" by a company that uses the title director in the British English sense would generally imply that the holder has been appointed to its board of directors in a legal sense, and that they have significant responsibilities as well as an economic stake in the company. In contrast, in the American English context, the term "executive director" is essentially similar to the titles of vice president or senior director in certain organisations.

"Regional" and/or "area" directors may also be employed by such organisations, with regional director titles typically being employed by organisations that are organised by location and have their departments under that organisation, indicating that they have nearly complete responsibility for the operations in their respective country.