Executive branding: a plain definition.

The definition

Executive branding is personal branding for people who lead within an organisation, such as chief executives, managing directors, senior managers and board members. The difference is the limits: they answer to a board, owners, regulators and often a communications team, so what they may say publicly is narrower than what a founder may say.

Typical parts

• An approval map: who signs off what, before any message is written.
• A single approved biography used everywhere.
• A short list of subjects the leader will speak on.
• A profile and a few considered appearances, rather than a daily feed.

How it differs from corporate communications

Corporate communications speaks for the company. Executive branding helps the person be understood, within what the company allows. They work well together, with communications involved from the start.

An example of the work, in outline

This is an illustration, not a client case. A managing director agrees an approval map with the communications team, rewrites one biography for use everywhere, chooses three subjects, and accepts one carefully chosen panel. Her profile is updated to describe scope and judgement. Nothing is published that the company has not approved.

Common misunderstandings

• It is not about becoming famous.
• It is not about speaking for the company without permission.
• It does not require a daily feed.
• It cannot promise a board seat, an appointment or any other outcome.

How Rise Personal uses the term

We call our approach quiet visibility. We start by asking how much visibility you want and how much you can carry, we work within your employer's rules, and nothing is public without your written approval. Where a piece is for the company's channels, the company approves it first.