Executive Leadership

Robert Fiske is the Founder & CEO of The CEO Council, a CEO-only leadership forum where chief executives engage in substantive, off-the-record dialogue to think, test, and decide on the issues that shape their companies, their industries, and the broader economy.

A former founder-CEO himself, Robert has spent three decades convening chief executives—hundreds of CEOs, from startup founders to Fortune 500 leaders.

The CEO Council Story

Robert founded the organization in 2006 as the Chief Executives Club of Rhode Island, building it into the forum where chief executives of the state’s medium and large employers addressed their strategic challenges in confidence. In 2011, the organization was acquired by Rhode Island College, where it continued under the leadership of the College’s president—herself a longtime member.

When subsequent college leadership let the organization wind down, its former members urged Robert to bring it back. In 2021, he reacquired the organization’s assets and relaunched it as The CEO Council, convening the first annual Rhode Island CEO Summit in 2022. He is now leading its expansion into a national platform.

Career Highlights

Head of Global C-Suite Executive Engagement, Hewlett-Packard and Compaq—led strategic engagement programs with senior executives worldwide, including creating the World Business Leader Forums (1995 and 2000)

Director of Market Development, Vistage International—recruited by the world’s largest CEO advisory organization for his executive-convening track record; coached and launched new peer-group Chairs and their CEO groups across the country

Founder & CEO, Chief Executives Guild—CEO peer organizations in California, Oregon, and Connecticut

Managing Partner, Courtney & Fiske, Ltd.—a national communications and executive events firm

Founder & CEO, DataSolutions International—an enterprise software company

Leadership Philosophy & Approach

Robert’s work is grounded in a belief that CEOs make better decisions when they have access to trusted peers, disciplined dialogue, and environments that challenge assumptions and expand thinking.

Through The CEO Council, he has developed structured methodologies—including The CEO Council’s proprietary peer decision-support process and its Peer Board Chair training and certification model—designed to help chief executives think more clearly, decide more effectively, and lead with greater impact.