Brit-Speak: Vernon Dursley is a /Director/.

[davewitley]

Steve - the Minnesota one, not the Michigan one - wrote:
 
> My impression fits with David's. I see (my vague and general
> impression) Vernon very near the top, but still just a worker.
> 
> In USA corporate structure, the Board of Directors which includes 
all
> the 'Chiefs' (CEO, CFO, etc...) don't sully themselves with such
> mudane things as the day-to-day operation of a company.

No, I meant that he *is* the CEO (I wasn't clear you have that term 
in the US), who is on the board of directors.  In the UK I think it 
is the rule that the CEO is responsible for the performance of the 
company - the share price, ultimately, but more directly the bottom 
line - via the board to the shareholders.  The word 'executive' in 
there means the person who actually runs the business.  The board 
members who don't involve themselves with the operation of the 
company are usually called 'non-executive directors', or non-execs 
for short.

 They are more
> interested in broad trends, guiding the general direction of the
> company, and coming up with policy and strategy. The next level 
down
> is the President who has broad and general responsibility in
> supervising the routine operation of the company. In a sense, 
he/she
> is like a go-between between the Board and those people responsible
> for day-to-day operation. Beneath the President are Vice Presidents
> who usually have specific areas of responsibility and do have to 
take
> an active supervisory role in daily operation.

I was wrong, then, in my understanding of US equivalents.

> Perhaps we could call him
> the 'General Manager' which may or may not be the same as 'Managing
> Director'.

It would not be the same, IMO.

> I was hoping, in asking the original question, that 'Director' 
would
> be a very common and specific term in British business culture, and
> would therefore help us narrow down Vernon's role in the company.

It is common, but it is not *quite* specific enough, depending on 
circumstances.  If PS had said, e.g., that VD was *a* director, that 
might have meant he was a board member with some operational 
responsibilities (we had that in my previous company - several board 
members were also involved in the business of the company, which had 
over 1000 employees).  But calling him *the* director means he is 
the CEO, IMO.

David