A chairman is a presiding officer of a meeting, assembly, committee or board, but is not necessarily involved in the actual operation of the company.
The word ‘chairman’ is often described as sexist, since it contains the element ‘–man’ indicating that only men can preside at meetings. In response to these criticisms, the word ‘chairman’ is often replaced by chair or chairperson.
A president is the chief executive officer of a company. In medium-sized and large companies, this title is often honorific and does not have any specifically defined functions.
In relatively small companies, it is quite common for a single person to hold both titles.
In politics, president also stands for the chief executive of a republic.
