The correct use of prepositions can be confusing when stating someone’s position at a company. In this case, when talking about the CEO, should we say “CEO of” or “CEO at”?
Let’s look into these forms, as well as variations, to find out what would be more appropriate to say.
CEO of or CEO at – Which Is Correct?
“CEO of” is the grammatically correct form that you should try to use in your daily conversations. “CEO at”, however, works as an exception to the rule, and can be used when indicating the location where the CEO job is. As any exception, this form is used less frequently.
Let’s start by taking a look at some examples:
- Theo is the CEO of a big company.
- Theo works as CEO at a big company.
- While he was the CEO of Poney Corp, Andrew made many positive changes.
- While he was the CEO at Poney Corp, Andrew made many positive changes.
The examples are made of two sets of sentences. In each set, we interchanged “CEO of” with “CEO at”, with a few adjustments. In those cases, all sentences work. However, sometimes this isn’t the case. So let’s take a closer look.
CEO of
“CEO of” is the most common form, and is the one that would correctly fit most situations. CEO is a special position. Every company has only one CEO, and not a team of them (like they would have for Directors, or Executive, for example). Therefore, “CEO of” fits in well.
In fact, we have to be careful when addressing CEOs, to avoid mistakes. You wouldn’t say, for example, “a CEO of”, because there is only one CEO – the correct form would be “the CEO of”.
Take a look at the use of “CEO of” in a sentence:
- Max is the CEO of Flower Inc.
- Her dream was to be the CEO of a big company one day.
- Being CEO of your company must be difficult.
- Samuel struggled to keep his position as CEO of Indigo Corp.
- I am the CEO of this company.
As you can see by the examples, “CEO of” fits in and makes sense.
CEO at
“CEO at” works in some instances, but it isn’t as general in applicability as “CEO of”. The expression “CEO at” works when indicating a location, and when the focus is on the individual’s job (and not the company).
Here are examples of “CEO at” in a sentence, to clarify this idea:
- Mario works as a CEO at Light Inc.
- My daughter Brianna works as a CEO at Special Corp.
- Richard is the CEO at Food Corp, in Alabama.
- Janet was on her way to becoming CEO at her company. (incorrect)
- Lucas wished he was the CEO at Light Inc. (incorrect)
To be able to use “CEO at” the focus of the sentence must be either of the individual who is (or wishes to be) CEO, or at the location of the company. The focus cannot be on the job itself.
In sentences 1 and 2, the main point of the sentence is where Mario and Brianna work. In those cases, “at” indicates the location where they have a job, not the position itself.
The same goes for sentence 3, where the point is that Richard works for this company in Alabama.
Sentences 4 and 5 focus more on the job. Janet and Lucas want to become CEOs, and are actively seeking the position. In those cases, “CEO at” doesn’t work.
Which Is Used the Most?
You may not be surprised by this one, but let’s take a look at a graph from Google Ngram Viewer to see if “CEO of” or “CEO at” is used more often.
As expected, “CEO of” appears more frequently than “CEO at”. We believe this is the case simply because “CEO of” is easier to put to use in virtually any sentence you may create on this subject.
Director of or Director At?
The position of a director is different from a CEO: companies have a team of Directors, while only one CEO. Therefore, “Director At” is the correct form to use when stating the company’s name or industry. “Director Of” should be used only when mentioning a specific department.
Take a look at the examples below:
- Martin works as a Director at Coffee Inc.
- Martin is the Director of Recruiting at Coffee Inc.