Director-general

The term director-general (plural directors-general, as "general" is postpositive) is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.

European Union

In the European Commission, each department (called a directorate-general) is headed by a non-political director-general. This is roughly equivalent to a British permanent secretary.

Australia

In most Australian states, the director-general is the most senior civil servant in any government department, reporting only to the democratically-elected minister representing that department. In Victoria and the Australian Government, the equivalent position is the secretary of the department.

Canada

In Canada, a director general is not the highest civil servant in a department. Directors general typically report to a more senior civil servant, e.g. at the assistant deputy minister level. Deputy ministers are the highest level bureaucrat in the Canadian civil service. At school boards in Quebec, the director general is the highest-ranking employee.

France

In France, the similar word président-directeur général (short: PDG) means the highest person in a company, corresponding to the CEO.

India

In India there is a director general of police in each state.

Italy

In Italy, the direttore generale of a company is a corporate officer who reports to CEO (amministratore delegato) and has duties similar to a chief operating officer.

Spain

In Spain, México, and other Spanish-speaking countries, the term "director general" of a company (similar to a US corporation) means the highest person managing the company and translates as the CEO into United States English.

Sweden

In Sweden, the similar word generaldirektör (short:GD) means the head of a government agency.^[1]

United Kingdom

In the UK, director-general is the professional head of an executive agency which contains other agencies headed by directors. For example the chief executive of the British Broadcasting Corporation is called the director-general. The head of the UKs internal security service MI5 is also a director-general, who operates at permanent Secretary (Grade 1) level. (See British Civil Service#Grading schemes for details.)

United States

This term is commonly used in international organisations and government departments, though often called an executive director or managing director in the U.S..

References

1. ^ Generaldirektör on Swedish Wikipedia