An executive community is a private network of senior leaders who meet to share advice, benchmarks, and relationships that are hard to find inside any single company. This guide explains what these communities are, how they differ from peer groups, and how to join one.
What is an executive community?
An executive community brings senior leaders together across companies for peer conversation, events, and shared knowledge. Unlike a single facilitated peer group, a community usually runs many rooms at once, organised by role, topic, or region. Open Future Forum, for example, is a global executive community founded in Silicon Valley in 2019 that convenes CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, CISOs, private equity leaders, and AI leaders.
How is it different from a peer group?
A peer group is typically one small recurring room, often facilitated and paid. An executive community is broader: a calendar of events, several role-specific tracks, and often original research. Many leaders belong to both.
What do executive communities offer?
Most combine three things: events and gatherings, peer groups or boards, and knowledge such as research or benchmarks. Open Future Forum runs its calendar through Forum Select, its invite-only private gatherings, and Forum Events, its open panels and gatherings, and publishes research built on first-party data from its network.
What is an invite-only executive community?
Invite-only means membership or attendance is by invitation rather than open signup, which keeps the room at a consistent level of seniority. At Open Future Forum, the private gatherings under Forum Select are invite-only, while Forum Events are open to the wider community.
How do you join an executive community?
Start by matching the community to your role and goals, then look at how it gathers and what it costs. For open programming, register for an event. For invite-only rooms, request an invitation or join a waitlist. Here is how to join Open Future Forum.
Frequently asked questions
Do executive communities cost money?
Many do, through membership or event fees. Models vary, so ask each directly.
Can you belong to more than one?
Yes, and many senior leaders do.
How do I get invited to an invite-only community?
Request an invitation, join through a member, or attend open events first. You can request an invite to Open Future Forum through its how-to-join page.