Young Presidents Organization

The Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) is a global network of young chief executives with approximately 24,000 members in more than 130 countries, according to the organization's 2016 YPO International Fact Sheet.

YPO was founded in 1950 in Rochester, New York by manufacturer Ray Hickok, who was 27 years old when he became the head of his family's Rochester based Hickok Belt a 300-employee company.

The first meeting was held at the Waldorf Astoria and was attended by General Robert Johnson (Johnson & Johnson). 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.

As of 2013, there are more than 450 chapters worldwide and 24,000 members. YPO members participate in monthly activities with their chapter with each chapter consisting of 35 to 120 members. The average revenue per member company, as of 2016, was $41 million USD.

YPO membership is generally by invitation only. 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. Candidates must be typically recommended by two members of a local chapter and approved by a committee of the board of directors. Prospective members may approach the organization directly, but most are invited by current members. 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.

Pat McNees, YPO: The First 50 Years. (Orange Frazer Press, 1999).

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