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A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'' ) or general director is a senior executive officer, often the
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
, within a
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government ...
al, statutory, NGO, third sector or
not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
institution. The term is commonly used in many countries worldwide, but with various meanings.


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 Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
representing that department. In Victoria and the
Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...
, the equivalent position is the
secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...
of the department. The Australian Defence Force Cadets has three Directors-General which are all one-star ranks: *Director-General of the
Australian Navy Cadets The Australian Navy Cadets (ANC) is a voluntary youth organisation owned and sponsored by the Royal Australian Navy. Together with the Australian Air Force Cadets and Australian Army Cadets, it forms the Australian Defence Force Cadets. It ...
*Director-General of the Australian Army Cadets *Director-General of the Australian Air Force Cadets


Canada

In
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
, the title director general is used in the federal civil service, known as the Public Service of Canada. A director general in the federal government is typically not the most senior civil servant in a department. Directors general typically report to a more senior civil servant, such as an assistant deputy minister or associate deputy minister. The title "director general" is not usually used within the civil services of the ten provincial governments, nor the three territorial governments; instead, these civil services usually use the title "executive director", or "director".
Deputy ministers Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spa ...
are the highest level bureaucrat within the
Canadian civil service The Public Service of Canada (known as the Civil Service of Canada prior to 1967) is the civilian workforce of the Government of Canada's departments, agencies, and other public bodies. While the Government of Canada has employed civil servants ...
at the federal, provincial and territorial levels. Deputy ministers are not politicians but professional bureaucrats. Outside the federal, provincial and territorial civil services, some public sector agencies such as school boards in
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
use the title "director general".


European Union

In the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
and the
Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as ...
, each department (called a
directorate-general Within the European Union, Directorates-General are departments with specific zones of responsibility, the equivalent of ministries at a national level. Most are headed by a European Commissioner, responsible for the general direction of the Dir ...
) is headed by a non-political director-general. This is roughly equivalent to a British permanent secretary.


France

In
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
, the similar word président-directeur général (PDG) means the highest person in a company, who is at the same time chairman (''président'') of the board of directors and CEO (''directeur général''). From 2001 the two charges may be disjointed. The ''directeur général délégué'' has a role similar to that of a chief operating officer. French ministries are divided into general directorates (''directions générales''), sometimes named central directorates (''directions centrales'') or simply directorates (''directions''), headed respectively by a ''directeur général'', a ''directeur central'', or a ''directeur''.


Ethiopia

Prior to the coup d’état of 1974 which overthrew the government of Emperor
Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
, the chief civil servant of a government ministry or independent state agency was known by the title of Director-General. In contemporary Ethiopia, the head official of independent agencies such as the Information Network Security Agency or the
Ethiopian Investment Corporation Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
is titled Director-General, as are second-tier divisions within ministries, below ermanentsecretariats.


Germany

In
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
, ''Generaldirektor'' may be used for the CEO of a large and established concern, corporation, company or enterprise, particularly if subordinates have the title director. The title is, however, unofficial (theoretically any person, and even practically every entrepreneur with one employee, may call himself director-general) and by now largely out of use. Officially a GmbH has a ''Geschäftsführer'' ("managing director"), an
Aktiengesellschaft (; abbreviated AG, ) is a German word for a corporation limited by share ownership (i.e. one which is owned by its shareholders) whose shares may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland (where it is equiva ...
, and a board of executive directors (Vorstand) with a chairman (Vorstandsvorsitzender). The term is also used by German Institute Taipei, Germany's informal representative mission to the
Republic of China (Taiwan) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a Country, country in East Asia, at the junction of the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) to the n ...
, to refer to its
head of mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, permane ...
, as well as the suggested translation for senior executive positions (Abteilungsleiterin or Abteilungsleiter) in German ministries.


Hong Kong

Several positions in the
Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...
bear titled director-general, including the directors-general of Investment Promotion, of Trade Trade and Industry, of Civil Aviation, and of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London.


India

In India, a Director General may refer to the Director General of the Border Security Force or to the Director General of Police, who is the highest ranking official in the Central Armed Police Forces, the National Disaster Response Force, and the Indian Coast Guard. In addition, the head of many government agencies are also referred to as Director Generals, like the Director General of
Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...
, the Director General of Central Statistics Office, the Director General of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), the Director General of
Indian Council of Medical Research The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Gove ...
, etc.


Italy

In
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, the ''direttore generale'' of a company is a
corporate officer Corporate titles or business titles are given to corporate officers to show what duties and responsibilities they have in the organization. Such titles are used by publicly and privately held for-profit corporations, cooperatives, non-profit or ...
who reports to the CEO (''amministratore delegato'') and has duties similar to a chief operating officer. Some Italian ministries are divided into departments (''dipartimenti''), which are in turn divided into general directorates (''direzioni generali'') headed by a ''direttore generale''. Other ministries, which do not have departments, are directly divided into general directorates. In
Italian provinces The provinces of Italy ( it, province d'Italia) are the second-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, on an intermediate level between a municipality () and a region (). Since 2015, provinces have been classified as "institutio ...
and greatest communes, ''direttore generale'' is a chief administrative officer nominated by the president of province or by the mayor. The title of ''direttore generale'' is also given to the chief executive of an ''azienda sanitaria'', a local public agency for health services.


Philippines

The word Director-General was used in the Philippines as a highest ranking law enforcer, which means the head of a law enforcement agency. Such agencies are: * Philippine National Police * Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency * Bureau of Corrections


Russia

A general director is the highest executive position in a
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
n company, analogous to a US chief executive officer (CEO), or a UK managing director. The position exists for all
Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
(CIS) legal forms (e.g. joint stock companies (AO) and limited-liability companies (OOO)), except for
sole proprietorship A sole proprietorship, also known as a sole tradership, individual entrepreneurship or proprietorship, is a type of enterprise owned and run by one person and in which there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business entity. A sole ...
s (IP). The general director is the "single-person executive body" of a company. He or she acts without
power of attorney A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs (which may be financial or regarding health and welfare), business, or some other legal matter. The person auth ...
to represent the company, and issues powers of attorney to others. His or her powers are defined by the company charter, by decision of the general meeting of
shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of a corporation is an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the legal ...
s (AO) or participants (OOO), and by the board of directors.


Spain

In
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
, México, and other Spanish-speaking countries, the term "director general" of a company (similar to a US corporation) is either the general manager or CEO of the company.


South Africa

In South Africa, the term refers to the non-political head of the national government and its departments. Provincial governments also have directors-general and they hold similar roles to their national counterparts.


Sweden

In Sweden, the cognate word Generaldirektör (GD) is the generic title for the head of a State agency, unless otherwise prescribed by higher authority. For purposes of English translations, the word Director-General is officially used.


United Kingdom

In the
UK's The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
, a director-general is now usually a senior civil servant (SCS) at Pay Band 3 Level who heads up a group of other Directors and reports directly to the Permanent Secretary of a department. For historical reasons, it has also been retained as the professional title of the chief executive officers in some organisations which predate the current SCS structure and therefore may be used by those people despite them working at different pay bands. For example, the head of the UK's internal Security Service MI5 is also called Director-General, despite the fact that the post is at Permanent Secretary (Pay Band 4) level. (See Civil Service (United Kingdom)#Grading schemes for details.) The chief executive of the
British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
also uses the title despite there being no link to the civil service grading structure. The head of the
National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
also holds the title.


United States

This term is used in international organisations and government departments, although this sort of position is more commonly called an "executive director" or "managing director" in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. Typically, the chief administrative officer of an
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...
company in the US holds the title of "General Director". Such was the case with singer and conductor Plácido Domingo, who formerly functioned in that capacity for the Los Angeles Opera, as he had previously for the Washington National Opera. In another prominent example, Speight Jenkins served as the general director of the Seattle Opera for over three decades. General directors are often responsible for artistic decisions, such as which operas to perform and which singers to hire, in addition to financial matters. The
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
is one of the few exceptions among US opera houses; the head of its administration is known as a "
general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all ...
" rather than a general director.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Director-General . Corporate governance Management occupations Positions of authority Titles