The Executives' Club of Chicago

What The Executives' Club of Chicago does

The Executives' Club of Chicago is a 113-year-old private, non-profit membership organization founded in 1911 and headquartered at 425 S Financial Pl, Suite 908 in Chicago. It operates as a premier business forum serving C-suite executives, senior leaders, and emerging executives in the Chicago metropolitan area, with a stated membership spanning thousands of leaders across industries. The organization delivers value through a portfolio of leadership development programs (the 10-month LEAD program, four-month STEP program, Leadership Circle peer groups, One-on-One Mentorship Initiative, and Workshops), event programming (Summits, signature All-Star Leadership series, Summertime Chi Biz Pass, Chicago Live events), two podcast series (The Executives' Exchange hosted by President & CEO Dorri McWhorter and Beyond the Loop), and the HRMAC Institute — the country's oldest HR organization, acquired in October 2021.

The underlying technology stack is light: a website (executivesclub.org), a member portal for application and registration, podcast hosting on Spotify/Apple/YouTube, and event management systems. Its proprietary features are content-driven rather than technology-driven, including Hogan & StrengthsFinder assessments integrated into the LEAD curriculum and an archived speaker library spanning 95+ years of notable leaders (from Bill Gates in 1995 to Satya Nadella in 2024). Revenue is generated through three primary streams: tiered annual membership dues (Executive $1,000, Enterprise 2 $1,500, Enterprise 5 $3,000, Enterprise 10 $5,500), transactional event and program fees, and corporate sponsorship packages from 40+ companies including Shure, Accenture, BDO, Deloitte, Aon, Bank of America, McKinsey, and WTW. Distribution is direct and selective, with membership applications reviewed for fit and corporate sponsorships sold through a dedicated partnerships team.

Customer segments include C-Suite and senior executives (primary), emerging leaders and future executives, HR and talent leaders served through the HRMAC Institute, and enterprise organizations purchasing multi-seat memberships for leadership teams. The organization runs on a small professional staff of approximately 15-20 full-time employees plus an extended staff directory, with revenue, headcount, and program scale having grown alongside a reported 20% year-over-year membership increase entering the 2026-2027 season, which offers nearly 100 programs.

Name

The Executives' Club of Chicago

Legal name

The Executives' Club of Chicago

Website

https://executivesclub.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Executives' Club of Chicago is a 113-year-old non-profit membership organization that connects, develops, and grows C-suite executives, senior leaders, and emerging leaders in the Chicago area through tiered memberships, leadership development programs, summits, podcasts, and the HRMAC Institute.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Leadership Development and Networking

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK), Executive Leadership Summits (C-Suite, Board, Strategy Offsites) (THAHAMAA), Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams) (EDABANAF)

Keywords

• Executive membership programs
• Business networking forums
• Leadership development programs
• Executive education services
• Corporate event programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees across Executive ($1,000), Enterprise 2 ($1,500), Enterprise 5 ($3,000), and Enterprise 10 ($5,500) tiers, plus one-time initiation fees. Recurring revenue from member renewals.
2. Event Fees & Programs: Revenue from fee-based programs and events including Summits, workshops, and special events. Member rates apply for members; non-member pricing available. Summertime Chi Biz Pass at $325 (members) / $700 (nonmembers).
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship packages providing brand visibility, thought leadership positioning, and access to Chicago business community. Sponsors include major corporations like Shure, Accenture, BDO, Deloitte, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Executives' Club of Chicago is a selective, membership-based leadership organization operating as Chicago's premier business forum. It delivers value through tiered annual memberships, structured cohort-based leadership development programs (LEAD, STEP), peer circles, one-on-one mentorship, summits and signature events, executive podcasts, workshops, the HRMAC Institute for HR professionals, and the annual International Executive of the Year award, with corporate sponsorships underwriting programming.

Product overview

The Executives' Club of Chicago is a membership-based leadership organization offering a platform of interconnected programs and services designed to connect, develop, and grow business leaders. The core portfolio includes leadership development programs (LEAD, STEP), peer networking (Leadership Circle, Member Roundtables), mentorship (One-on-One Mentorship Initiative), events and summits, professional podcasts (The Executives' Exchange, Beyond the Loop), workshops, the HRMAC Institute for HR professionals, the International Executive of the Year Award, customized organizational programs, and membership/sponsorship tiers. The organization functions as a business forum rather than a software product, delivering value through programming, networking, and professional development rather than technology features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HRMAC Institute: The Human Resources Management Association Institute at the Executives' Club of Chicago, providing best practice resources, real-life applications, and HR peer networking for Chicagoland HR professionals. HRMAC began in 1915 and is the oldest HR organization in the country.

Products and services

• LEAD

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% year-over-year membership growth reported for 2026-2027 season
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered featured, leadership, core, summit and program.

• ShurefeaturedGTM or Marketing PartnerPodcast sponsor for The Executives' Exchange podcast. Shure (headquartered in Niles, Illinois) provides podcasting solutions sponsorship, positioning audio expertise supporting the club's leadership podcast platform.
• World Business ChicagoleadershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeadership sponsor for 'Powering the Next Era of Growth' event featuring ComEd CEO. World Business Chicago is the city's economic development organization driving regional growth initiatives.
• Choose ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partner for Chicago Live events focused on city building and economic development. Choose Chicago is the official tourism organization for the city.
• Navy PiercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Chicago Live events. Navy Pier serves as event location, representing Chicago's iconic cultural and tourism destination.
• AonsummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor providing time, talent, and resources to support Exec Club programming. Aon is a professional services firm supporting leadership events.
• Bank of AmericasummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor supporting Exec Club events and business community initiatives.
• BMOsummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor and event venue partner for Talent Outlook 2026 event at BMO Tower. BMO provides financial services sponsorship.
• CDWsummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor supporting technology-focused business leadership programming.
• EdelmansummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor providing public relations and communications expertise to support club programming.
• EYsummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor supporting professional services and thought leadership initiatives.
• Fifth Third BanksummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor and venue partner for Chicago region banking initiatives.
• Google CloudsummitTechnology or IntegrationSummit sponsor providing technology and cloud infrastructure expertise for leadership events.
• Hogan AssessmentsprogramTechnology or IntegrationAssessment tool partner for LEAD leadership development program. Hogan provides personality assessments used in executive coaching curriculum.
• KearneysummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor and board member representation from consulting firm supporting executive programming.
• McKinsey & CompanysummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor providing management consulting expertise and thought leadership for executive events.
• Mesirow FinancialsummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor representing Chicago-based investment management and consulting firm.
• MolexsummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor and board member representation from electronics manufacturing company.
• Northern TrustsummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor from financial services firm with long-standing Chicago presence and board representation.
• Northwestern MedicinesummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor representing healthcare system and board member organization.
• NTT DatasummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor providing digital transformation and IT services expertise.
• United HealthcaresummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor and board member representation from healthcare insurance provider.
• WTWsummitGTM or Marketing PartnerSummit sponsor and board member representation from advisory firm. Imran Qureshi serves as First Vice Chair.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Economic Club of Chicago: The Economic Club of Chicago is the most direct peer: a Chicago-based, invitation-only business forum founded in 1927 that hosts distinguished speakers and dinner-format programs for executives and civic leaders. Operates an almost identical model (membership + signature speaker events) in the same geographic market, making it the closest substitute for Exec Club members' attention and dues.
• Young Presidents' Organization (YPO): YPO is a global peer executive organization with 30,000+ members across 140+ countries offering peer learning forums, leadership development, and networking. Directly comparable on membership-based executive community model, peer-to-peer learning formats, and leadership programming, though operating globally rather than regionally.
• Vistage Worldwide: Vistage is the world's largest CEO peer advisory organization with 45,000+ members organized into small-group peer advisory boards led by executive coaches. Comparable on membership model, executive peer development, and group coaching formats, though it is more structured around recurring small-group meetings than Exec Club's larger summits and speaker events.
• Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO): EO is a global peer network of 18,000+ founders and business owners offering member events, leadership development programs, and peer learning communities. Directly comparable on the membership-based executive peer model with chapter-style organization and high-touch programming for senior business leaders.
• Aspen Institute: The Aspen Institute operates invitation-only leadership seminars and executive dialogue programs (e.g., Aspen Executive Seminar) for senior leaders. Comparable on executive leadership development programming, invitation-only networking model, and speaker-driven convenings that target C-suite participants.
• Chicago Council on Global Affairs: Chicago Council on Global Affairs is a membership-based, nonpartisan organization that convenes global leaders and produces high-profile speaker events for Chicagoland executives and civic leaders. Direct peer on Chicago-based executive convening model, signature speaker programming, and selective individual/corporate membership tiers.
• The Business Council: The Business Council is an invitation-only forum for chief executives of major corporations, hosting candid peer discussions with distinguished speakers. Comparable on selective CEO-only membership model, peer dialogue format, and high-profile speaker programming, though operating at a larger enterprise scale than Exec Club.

Broad incumbents

• Greater Chicago Chamber of Commerce: The Greater Chicago Chamber of Commerce is a broader business membership organization serving companies across the Chicago region, offering networking events, leadership programs, and policy advocacy. Overlaps with Exec Club on member-based networking and Chicago business community convening, but serves a wider corporate base rather than a selective C-suite niche.

Emerging players

• Chief Executive Group: Chief Executive Group operates CEO peer communities, events, and content (including Chief Executive magazine) targeted at senior executives and business owners. Comparable on the CEO-targeted membership and content model, but with a more distributed/digital model rather than a single regional chapter.

Regional players

• World Business Chicago: World Business Chicago is the city's public-private economic development organization that convenes executives around city-building and corporate attraction initiatives. Already a strategic partner of Exec Club (e.g., Powering the Next Era of Growth event), it overlaps on Chicago executive convening and is a complementary player rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/execclubchicago
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFHigRR2bgRvyavkEp7Y30A
• Facebookfacebook.com/execclubchicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-executives'-club-of-chicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Executives' Club of Chicago