Who Holds More Authority: Executive Assistant to CMD or CFO? Seeking Your Insights

I have to prepare the organization chart and reporting channels and have some doubts. Is the Executive Assistant to the CMD in a better position than the company CFO, or do they have the same authority? Please share your opinion.

Thanks & Regards,
M Roy

There are many differences in the roles that might help you decide which role should rank higher. Here are a few that I have noticed.

CFO Responsibilities

The CFO holds an authoritative position and is authorized to make financial decisions based on research and the Board of Directors' agreement. The CFO is further responsible for profitability, along with managing and acquiring new business accounts.

Executive Assistant to CMD Responsibilities

The Executive Assistant (EA) to the Chief Managing Director (CMD) might seem senior in terms of managing secrecy. However, the role would have far fewer decision-making capabilities. The EA to CMD is not responsible for the firm's returns. Mostly, client communication might be managed through an EA to CMD, but not acquiring them.

However, this is relevant for the IT and knowledge sector. Which sector does your firm belong to? How are the two roles shaped? What are their spans of control? Some firms might make the EA to CMD far more powerful, but that's an exception.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

I am certain there are many more structural differences. Let's learn from our experts.

I am new to this organization. This is an export firm. There is no written document for the responsibilities. However, in our organization, the CFO participates in financial decision-making, logistics or supply chain management, and business development. On the other hand, the Executive Assistant to the CMD is responsible for new business strategy, client meetings, HR initiatives, and overall company growth.

I believe that preparing job descriptions for both positions will help you in identifying the role in terms of criticality, confidentiality, and integrity that the role must maintain while fulfilling its responsibilities. Additionally, you should identify the competencies and the span of control required for each role. This will help in resolving a lot of confusion.

Thank you.