Managing director

A sainted senior director, but not, despite indications to the contrary, one with any real management or executive authority. In fact the highest (and therefore worst) level of middle management - the one that gets to do the real dross with none of the fun stuff she trained in, and for which she joined the organisation in the first place. An MD will spend most of her time defending her existing headcount with spreadsheets, on steering committees, or haggling about her compensation, or being lectured to by the [[COO about cost discipline on a quarterly off-site in Trieste^[1]. The fun part of the business — actually doing it, or advising on it, has long since devolved to subject matter experts whose continued employment at the firm she must energetically defend.

The hierarchy of adjectives for employees of large organisations goes, in increasing order of gravitas/existential frustration, as follows:

Komsomol - youth wing: Analyst / Employee / Authorised officer
Party member: Associate director / associate vice president
Officious minor official: No-adjective director / vice president
Lower secretariat: Executive director / executive vice president, senior vice president
Upper Secretariat:Managing director
Politburo: Partner managing director / Group managing director / Senior managing director
General secretary: Chief executive officer

References

↑ Yes, quite.

[1] Yes, quite.

[1]

Managing director

See also

References