Young Presidents' Organization

The Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) is a global network of young chief executives with approximately 22,000 members in more than 125 countries.

History

YPO was founded in 1950 near New York City by manufacturer Ray Hickok, who was 27 years old when he became the head of his family’s 300-employee company. The first meeting was held at the Waldorf Astoria and was attended by General Robert Johnson (Johnson & Johnson).^[1] Hickok and a small group of young presidents in the area began meeting regularly to share and learn from each other. This founding principle of education and idea exchange among peers still guides the organization today.^[2]

• The first non-U.S. chapter was created in 1956 in Ontario, Canada.
• The first YPO University was held in Miami Beach, Florida.
• YPO merged with its graduate organization, World Presidents Organization (WPO), in 2007 to become the world's largest global network of business leaders.
• The YPO Global Pulse survey launched in 2009 and is a quarterly economic confidence index that shares business insights from CEOs around the globe^[3][4][5]
• In 2010, Jill Belconis became the first woman elected to serve as YPO-WPO International Chairman.
• YPO formed an exclusive editorial partnership with CNBC since 2012. Members are part of a CNBC-YPO Chief Executive Network.^[6]

Demographics

As of 2013, there are more than 400 chapters worldwide and 22,000 members.^[7] YPO members participate in monthly activities with their chapter with each chapter consisting of 35 to 100 members.

Membership Requirements

YPO membership is generally by invitation only.^[8] To qualify for membership, a person must have become, before age 45, the president or chairman and chief executive officer of a corporation of significance with a minimum revenue and minimum number of employees. The financial criteria differ for service companies and banks.^[1] Candidates must be typically recommended by two members of a local chapter and approved by a committee of the board of directors.^[1] Prospective members may approach the organization directly, but most are invited by current members.^[1] There is an initiation fee ranging from $3,000 - $10,000 and an annual membership fee of $2,500 - $10,000, sometimes in addition to the cost of individual YPO events, depending on chapter, in addition to an annual international membership fee which can range from $3,000 to $7,000.^[1]

Notable members

• Charles R. Schwab, Founder & CEO, Charles Schwab^[9]
• Peter Ueberroth, Chairman, 1984 L.A. Olympic Games, former Commissioner, Major League Baseball^[10]
• Bob Galvin, Founder & former CEO, Motorola^[11]
• Jim Balsille, Co-Founder & former Co-CEO, Research in Motion/Blackberry^[12]
• Scott Cook, Founder & former CEO, Intuit^[13]
• Douglas Fairbanks Jr., founder of United Artists motion picture studio^[9]
• Christie Hefner, former CEO, Playboy Enterprises^[14]
• Ray Lee Hunt, Hunt Oil^[9]
• Robert Wood Johnson II, president of Johnson & Johnson^[9]
• Ronnie Lott, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Founder & Managing Director, HRJ Capital^[15]
• Leonard Lauder, former CEO, Estee Lauder^[9]
• Penny Pritzker, US Secretary of Commerce^[16]

Publications

Pat McNees, YPO: The First 50 Years. (Orange Frazer Press, 1999). ISBN 978-1-882203-59-8

References

External links

• YPO Official Site