executive
noun [ C ]
uk/ɪɡˈzekjətɪv/ us MANAGEMENT ( informal exec)
someone who has an important position in business, making decisions and putting them into action:
World Economic Forum is an annual meeting in Switzerland at which political leaders and business executives discuss economic issues.
a high-ranking/senior/top executive
an advertising/marketing/oil executive
company/corporate/industry executives
a financial/sales executive
a group of people who run an organization:
The executive of the health workers' union accepted the proposed pay increase on behalf of their members.
the executive
GOVERNMENT
the part of a government that is responsible for making certain that laws and decisions are put into action, rather than making laws:
Checks and balances are provided by the separation of powers between the judiciary, the executive and the legislature.
Compare
legislature
See also
account executive
chief executive
the Health and Safety Executive
legal executive
national executive
executive
adjective [ before noun ]
uk/ɪɡˈzekjətɪv/ usrelating to making decisions and managing businesses or government:
executive decision/duty An executive decision was made to move to another site.
The organizational pyramid had executive management at the top and supervisors and employees at the bottom.
having or relating to the power to take action on decisions:
executive authority/leadership/power Reshaping the culture of the corporation around the needs of the entire enterprise requires executive leadership.
The IMF is fully accountable to its membership, through the 24-member executive board.
Compare
non-executive
relating to executives (= important people in a company who make decisions):
an executive appointment/job/position
executive bonuses/pay/salary
They appointed a relocation officer at executive level.
The interview board considered that the candidate was definitely executive material.
suitable for people with important jobs in business:
an executive jet
He had a drink in the airport executive lounge before boarding his flight.
He worked in the executive suite at Northwest Airlines.
expensive and of a high quality:
an executive car/flat/home