Chief Membership Cost in 2026 and the Best Alternatives
Chief is a network and community for senior women leaders located in the US. When it comes to Chief membership cost, it is worth noting that the organization has made significant changes to its membership structure. These changes have impacted the membership cost as well, which as per reports, is now based on a goal-focused package pricing rather than one standard membership fee for everyone.
Even though the official Chief website does not disclose its membership cost officially. We have been able to retrieve marketing assets from Chief that clearly note its membership structure and package-based pricing. The Chief membership cost starts at $5,900 per year and ranges north of $17,000 per year.
As a platform, Chief operates using Clubhouses rather than small groups, the likes of a Forum. In comparison to the structure used by Chief, a Forum is a small group of six to eight leaders who meet regularly, in confidence, with a trained facilitator to work through the professional and personal challenges they’re currently facing.
So, to help you learn more about Chief membership cost and to also determine whether Chief is the right fit for you, we’ve created this guide to help you learn more about Chief and explore its alternatives.
Disclosure: ForumSpace is one of the alternatives discussed below and is owned by the company publishing this article.
What Chief Membership Costs in 2026
The current membership plans available are respectively called the Chief Membership tier and the Chief Signature tier. We have acquired the pricing for both these plans. The Chief Membership tier pricing starts at $5,900 annually and the Chief Signature tier is priced at $9,800 annually.
Membership Type | Reported Annual Fee | What It Includes | Source |
Chief Membership | $5,900 |
| Chief official Assets document |
Chief Signature | $9,800 |
| Chief official Assets document |
Coaching Accelerators | $13,500 to $17,000+ |
| Chief official Assets document |
Note: There’s a one-time $500 new member fee that’s chargeable for new members.
What The Fee Covers?
Chief offers lucrative perks and access to each member. Regardless of tier-oriented perks, Chief Membership has base perks that are offered to every member. From Core Group sessions to ICF-certified one-on-one coaching sessions, there’s a lot that comes with a Chief membership.
Core Groups or Executive Coaching: The number of Core Group meetings and executive coaching sessions offered by Chief differ based on the plan you choose. The base plan offers up to six guided peer advisory Core Group sessions per year or four executive one-on-one coaching sessions.
Clubhouse Access: Chief has four Clubhouses spread across the US. They are located in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington D.C.
Wharton Executive Education: Members of Chief can access four quarterly Wharton courses on topics such as AI, entrepreneurship, board readiness, and finance.
Events and Programming: The membership includes access to ChiefX summits, industry-event pop-ups, virtual and in-person programming, along with curated dinners and other networking opportunities.
Community and support: Every Chief member gets access to the digital community of the organization as well as complete support from the Concierge team and local Community Managers who facilitate connections across the network.
Hogan Assessment: This is one of the best features of having a Chief membership because this assessment alone for an individual can cost upwards of $2,500 (as stated by Chief).
The organization also changed the structure of its Core experience for 2026. The previous 10-session cadence was reduced to six sessions, while group sizes were increased and the experience was reorganized around different leadership journeys.
Who Actually Pays for Chief Membership?
Traditionally, the member is expected to bear the membership fee for leadership communities, however, Chief actually allows leaders to receive sponsorship for their membership from their employers to cover membership costs. This is not only offered, it is among the most common form of membership access for Chief, with more than 60% of its members being sponsored by their companies.
Chief Membership Criteria
Chief is a leadership community for senior women leaders across industries. The general criteria for Chief membership is a minimum of 15 years of leadership experience.
Applicant profile | Current Chief Criteria |
C-suite | CXO or equivalent at an organization with over 1,000 employees. Or the candidate needs to be a board seat of a publicly held company. |
Senior leaders and executives | CEO, CXO, VP/SVP, or Founder at a mid-market to enterprise-scale company. Seniority is also assessed based on company size and team responsibility. |
Builders | Solopreneurs, consultants, founders, or fractional leaders with previous CXO or experience above roles equivalent to VP. Other criteria include experience leading businesses with over $2 million in annual revenue or venture funding. |
Is Chief Membership Worth It?
Even though the answer to whether the Chief membership is worth it or not, is rather subjective, members have often lauded the vetted peer community and coaching offered by the organization.
Leaders who want the following may get the most out of their Chief membership:
Women-only leadership community: Chief is specifically designed for senior women leaders with opportunities to connect through curated groups, events, and its broader member community.
Access to Clubhouses: Chief members get access to the four Chief clubhouses across the US. If this is something appealing to you as a leader, a Chief membership may be appealing to you.
Structured peer support or executive coaching: Members can choose between having six guided peer sessions annually or four one-on-one coaching sessions. Chief also offers members the option to switch between Core Groups and Coaching at plan renewal.
Access to a broad calendar of programming: Chief offers summits, workshops, networking, events, curated dinners, industry pop-ups, and quarterly Wharton Executive education courses. This is often quoted as being one of the top reasons members choose to renew their Chief membership.
When it comes to members who may not be suited for a Chief membership, this includes:
Leaders who want a small and consistent group of up to 8 members
Leaders who want to discuss both professional and personal challenges
Chief Alternatives
Chief is designed specifically for senior women leaders. So, when looking for alternatives, you must decide whether you want a women-only network or a broader executive peer group.
Ellevate Network
What it is: Ellevate Network is the closest alternative to Chief as it is also a women’s-only professional network. It helps leaders with community, events, mentoring, and career resources.
Format: A broad professional community with digital resources, events, and networking.
Cost: Membership pricing is not publicly listed online, you must contact the team to find out the up-to-date pricing information.
Best for: Women leaders who are looking for a Chief alternative that offers opportunities to build connections and participate in events.
A limitation: The Ellevate Network may match Chief’s structure, but it doesn’t replicate the organization’s highly curated senior-leader membership, Clubhouses and structured peer experience.
Vistage
What it is: An executive peer advisory organization that’s built around confidentiality and group-level facilitation for CEOs and other senior executives.
Format: Members typically meet monthly in Chair-led groups, supplemented by one-on-one coaching and other programming. Vistage is not a women-only organization, however, it has its own membership eligibility criteria.
Cost: Vistage does not publicly disclose its membership pricing. To learn more, you should contact the team at Vistage. Third-party pricing information is unreliable or outdated.
Best for: CEOs and executives who want a structured professional network for discussions around business decisions.
A limitation: Vistage is not a women-only network as mentioned so it is significantly different from Chief.
The Women Presidents’ Organization
What it is: A peer advisory organization specifically for women who own and lead businesses. This is another close alternative for Chief thanks to its women-centric focus.
Format: To meet the needs of its senior women leaders, the Women Presidents’ Organization hosts confidential peer groups alongside educational and networking opportunities.
Cost: The organization does not publicly list its membership cost. However, the membership criteria is available on the official website online. For membership cost details, it is best to contact the team directly.
Best for: Women business owners and senior leaders who want a women-focused peer environment with chapters across several countries globally.
A limitation: The WPO is not built specifically for women senior leaders. It rather focuses on women business owners, which makes it different from Chief.
TIGER 21
What it is: A peer network that’s built for high-net-worth entrepreneurs, investors, and executives. The focus of TIGER 21 is around wealth preservation and investment portfolio management.
Format: The organization hosts groups for monthly meets that cover different areas, including investments, family dynamics, and tax planning.
Cost: A TIGER 21 membership in North America can cost $34,000 annually along with a $5,000 initiation fee that’s paid one-time by new members.
Best for: Leaders who want to focus on wealth management, planning, and preservation.
A limitation: TIGER 21’s wealth-focused model is different from Chief’s leadership and professional-development focus.
ForumSpace
What it is: ForumSpace hosts facilitated Forums for senior leaders. The focus is on confidentiality, maintaining an ongoing peer group, and focus on discussing issues regarding both professional and personal struggles of leaders. A Forum is a small group of six to eight leaders who meet regularly, in confidence, with a trained facilitator.
Format: The ForumSpace Forums meet virtually for the most part on a monthly basis. We also host one in-person retreat per year. Leaders can enter through company nomination or by applying directly.
Cost: Pricing is provided on request and is not listed online publicly.
Best for: Senior leaders who want a small, consistent, and confidential peer group with professional facilitation and continuity.
Who it may not suit: ForumSpace is not women-specific, so it does not provide the women-only environment that’s central to Chief.
To support the Forum experience, our Forums are facilitated and include a structured methodology, onboarding, ongoing support, curated resources, and custom built technology.
If you want to explore a Forum that’s built around small peer groups of six to eight leaders who meet regularly, in confidence, with a trained facilitator to work through professional and personal challenges you’re facing, you can Find a Forum to explore ForumSpace.
Disclosure: ForumSpace is owned by the company publishing this article. It is included here as one of the alternatives to Chief for readers who may have different priorities.
Conclusion
The Chief membership cost is not listed on the official website, however, marketing assets from Chief available online disclose that the membership pricing starts at $5,900 annually. Many senior leaders get their membership fees sponsored by employers, as Chief states, more than 60% of its members are sponsored.
So, if that’s something that intrigues you, a Chief membership may be best suited for you. However, if you’re still on the fence about the benefits of peer groups and professional networks, be sure to download our short guide, 10 Great Lessons from 10 Entrepreneurs, which features stories from Forbes CEO interviews that prove the value of shared leadership experiences.
Lastly, if you want access to a smaller, more consistent peer group of six to eight leaders, with confidential conversations spanning professional and personal challenges, Find a Forum to explore a different format from the Chief membership.
FAQs
1. How much does Chief membership cost?
Chief membership is currently reported at $5,900 per year. Chief's current public membership page does not display a dollar price.
2. Does your employer pay for Chief?
Yes, Chief states that more than 60% of its members are sponsored by their companies.
3. What are the Chief membership criteria?
Chief is designed for senior women leaders and generally looks for 15 or more years of leadership experience, alongside factors such as seniority, company size, team responsibility and professional background.
4. Is Chief membership worth it?
Chief may suit a senior woman looking for a women-only leadership community, structured coaching or peer sessions, physical Clubhouses and a broad schedule of events and educational programming.
5. What are the alternatives to Chief?
Alternatives include Ellevate Network, Vistage, The Women Presidents' Organization, TIGER 21 and ForumSpace. They differ in audience and format: some focus specifically on women, some on executive peer groups or business ownership, and others on wealth or smaller facilitated groups.
Find a Forum