Chairman
A chairman is the presiding officer of a meeting, organization or committee. It is his or her responsibility to outline the agenda of the group, and ensure that everyone operates in an efficient manner. He or she may also be entrusted with various other executive powers. In order to avoid sexist assumptions, the position is nowadays more often called chairperson or simply the chair. Alternatively, the title of chairwoman may be used if the incumbent is female.So far as the boards of public companies are concerned, the role of the Chairman as distinct from that of the company's Chief Executive Officer or Managing Director has in recent times been brought into focus, as the result of alleged corporate governance shortcomings observed in companies in which the two roles are combined. A pivotal document setting out recommendations is the Cadbury Report, the recommendations of which have been adopted to greater or lessor extent by the European Union, USA, the World Bank and others.
In China the title of "Chairman" is often used interchangeably with that of president (ex: Chairman Mao).