becomE A VISTAGE Chair
Turn decades of experience into impact
As a former CEO or business owner, you understand that the path to genuine leadership is not easy. It’s a daily commitment filled with hurdles and setbacks, as well as moments of opportunity and great success. As a Vistage Chair, you’ll commercialise your expertise, mentor top executives, lead high-impact peer groups, and shape the future of business. Are you ready to make a lasting impact?
‘Being a Vistage Chair is the single most profound thing that I have done in my professional career. The ability to assist people on their journeys and to help them become the best leaders and people that they can be is very rewarding. I am quite proud when they accomplish their goals and achieve success in whatever way they measure it.’
Vistage Chair
Could this be the highlight of your career?
Building a coaching or consulting business on your own isn’t easy. With Vistage, you’re in business for yourself, but not by yourself.
Lead with purpose
You’ve always enjoyed the pace of business and need to stay connected. As a Vistage Chair, you’re able to guide the decisions of executives and business owners using your past experiences.
Flexibility and recurring income
As a Vistage Chair you’re an independent contractor who can build a practice, suitable for a portfolio career, that suits your schedule and ambition.
World-class support
Unlike coaching on your own, you’re supported with all the resources you need to succeed AND a structured learning program to grow your Vistage Chair practice.
Role of a Vistage Chair
Chairing is a combination of listening and coaching and a blend of nudging and motivating. You’ll help drive business development and connect members to the right people to aid their success. It’s your job to cultivate the best group dynamic and foster group connection that drives impact for its members.
Do you have the experience and insight to lead those who lead?
Vistage Chairs are seasoned executives who bring depth, insight, and heart to the table. With decades of real-world experience, strong financial acumen, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
Here’s what defines a Vistage Chair:
An inside look at being a Vistage Chair
Once you’ve secured at least 8 members as part of your first peer advisory group, you’ll set up monthly group meetings. In addition to processing the issues and opportunities that members bring to the table, most meetings will also feature a presentation by an expert speaker on a topic of interest to your members. You’ll also meet with each member of your group every month for a private one-to-one session.
Lead leaders. Shape futures.
Evaluate if becoming a Vistage Chair is your next step. Learn how to apply your leadership experience and guide executives toward greater success.
APPLY TO BE a VISTAGE Chair
Ready to leverage your experience?
Enjoy the flexibility to create your own work schedule, facilitating discussions, guiding leaders, and making an impact without the demands of corporate life. To learn more about this opportunity, complete this short form. Our Chair selection team will be in touch shortly.
Frequently asked questions
Vistage members are CEOs, business owners, and senior executives from small to mid-sized companies across a wide range of industries, including agriculture, logistics, education, hospitality, energy, real estate, media, and not-for-profit organisations. Their industries may be different, but the challenges they face are often similar. By drawing on peers who have “been there before,” members gain practical insights to solve problems, avoid blind spots, and break out of an insular outlook—broadening their perspective and making better decisions.
Vistage Chairs are experienced business leaders, often former CEOs, senior executives, or business owners, who build and lead confidential peer advisory groups of high-calibre members from non-competing industries. They typically bring 15+ years of executive experience, strong business acumen, and an entrepreneurial mindset, combining strategic insight with a passion for mentoring and helping leaders grow personally and professionally.
A Vistage Chair is responsible for building and leading a peer advisory group. With Vistage’s support, Chairs recruit founding members, launch the group, and grow it to around 16 leaders. Each month, they facilitate confidential roundtable meetings where members tackle their most pressing business challenges. In addition, Chairs meet one-to-one with each member to provide tailored executive coaching, guidance, and accountability—ensuring every leader gains measurable value from their Vistage experience.
Vistage Chairs are typically former or transitioning C-Level executives with at least $5M in P&L responsibility. They possess an entrepreneurial spirit, strong leadership skills, and a passion for mentoring. Chairs are experienced in leading high-performing teams, excel at building connections and networks, and have the ability to listen to and challenge CEOs and senior executives. They have achieved significant success in their own careers and are motivated to grow a rewarding coaching practice.
As a Vistage Chair, you operate as an independent contractor and can determine the scope of your Chair Practice. Should you move forward with exploring the opportunity to become a Vistage Chair, one of our team will be able to discuss this with you.
A Vistage Chair goes beyond one-to-one coaching by facilitating confidential peer advisory groups of CEOs and business owners. They lead monthly group meetings where members learn from each other’s experiences. Unlike traditional executive coaches, Chairs combine group facilitation with personalised mentoring to support leadership growth and business success.
You become part of a trusted, global organisation with decades of proven success. From the moment you start, you’re supported by Chair Academy training, ongoing development, and a network of peers who share best practices—everything you need to build and sustain a thriving Chair practice.
Vistage invests heavily in helping new Chairs to be successful. The support provided includes a comprehensive and ongoing learning and development program, a sales support team, marketing campaigns, branding efforts with the strength the Vistage brand.
Becoming a Vistage Chair offers global credibility, a proven methodology, marketing and administrative support, and access to a worldwide network of Chairs and members. This infrastructure allows you to focus on coaching and facilitation while leveraging Vistage’s established systems, rather than building a peer advisory group from scratch.
Unlike consultants or board members who provide advice from the side-lines, a Vistage Chair actively builds and nurtures a trusted community of leaders. You’ll guide peer advisory groups, deliver one-to-one coaching, bring in expert perspectives, and benefit from Vistage’s global network. It’s a role that creates lasting impact and a true leadership legacy.
Instead of simply retiring, the Chair role offers an inspiring path forward. You’ll have the chance to shape future leaders, stay mentally engaged, and remain part of a global community—all while enjoying flexibility and freedom.
The Chair role offers a meaningful way to stay engaged, keep your mind active, and pass on hard-earned wisdom—without the operational stress of running a business. You’ll guide other leaders, stay strategically sharp, and continue learning alongside your peers. Many Chairs describe it as the pinnacle of their post-C-suite journey.
Boards focus on governance and oversight, but the Chair role is hands-on, personal, and developmental. It complements board service by keeping you engaged in real-world leadership challenges, providing both structure and human connection. Many Chairs find it keeps them sharp, relevant, and actively involved in the decisions and growth of today’s leaders.