Coheadship

Coheadship is a leadership arrangement in which two individuals share the top managerial role of an organization. The positions are often titled co-CEO, co-president, or co-executive director, and the two individuals together bear the chief responsibility for strategy, governance, and overall performance.

Coheadership is adopted in various sectors, including corporations, non-profit organizations, universities, and government-linked bodies. It is typically pursued to combine complementary skills, ensure continuity during transitions, or reflect a commitment to shared oversight across functions such as strategy and operations.

Advocates argue that coheadship can broaden strategic thinking, distribute workload, and improve resilience. It can aid succession planning, maintain leadership coverage across markets, and align with stakeholders seeking collaborative governance.

However, coheadership can introduce conflict if visions diverge, create blurred accountability, or slow decision making. It may complicate performance assessment, compensation, and external reporting. The arrangement often relies on a clear agreement about authority, decision rights, and a process for resolving differences.

Best practices include clearly delineating responsibilities, establishing formal decision-making protocols, aligning on performance metrics and succession criteria, ensuring consistent communication with the board, and setting a sunset or trial period to test the arrangement.