Strategic Management and Corporate Finance · Introduction to Strategic Management

Strategists and Their Role in Strategic Management

Updated 11 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Strategists are the people who decide, shape and steer an organisation's strategy. They include the board of directors, the CEO or managing director, senior management, strategic planners and, in companies, the Company Secretary. The board sets direction and oversight, the CEO leads formulation and implementation, and planners and the CS support with analysis and governance.

Understand Strategists and Their Role in Strategic Management

A strategist is any person who takes part in deciding where the organisation is going and how it will get there. Strategy is not made by one person. It is shaped by a group at different levels, and each group has a different job.

The board of directors is at the top. It approves the vision, mission and major strategic decisions, and it oversees management on behalf of shareholders. The board does not run daily operations. It asks hard questions, sets the risk appetite and checks whether results match the plan.

The CEO (or managing director) is the chief strategist. The CEO turns board direction into a workable strategy, builds the top team, allocates resources and sets the culture. This is called strategic leadership: guiding the organisation towards its vision by setting direction, aligning people and making key choices. Other strategists are senior and functional heads, who convert corporate strategy into functional plans, and strategic planners or corporate planning staff, who collect data, run environmental and internal analysis and prepare options. Middle managers and employees implement the strategy, so they matter too, even though they rarely formulate it.

The Company Secretary is a governance link between the board and management. A CS advises the board on law and governance, ensures compliance with the Companies Act, 2013, SEBI regulations and secretarial standards, helps prepare board and committee agendas, records decisions, and ensures that strategic moves such as mergers, fundraising or investments follow the proper approvals. A CS who understands strategy can also contribute to risk, ESG and stakeholder discussions.

In exams, link the role to the stage of the strategic process: the board and CEO for direction and approval, planners for analysis, managers for implementation, and the CS for governance and compliance.

Key rules to remember

Board role in strategy: Board = direction + approval + oversight; The board sets and approves strategy and monitors performance. It does not manage daily operations.
CEO role in strategy: CEO = formulation + implementation + leadership; The CEO is the chief strategist and is accountable to the board for results.
Strategists by level: Corporate level: board, CEO | Business level: business heads | Functional level: functional managers; Use this to structure answers on who is responsible for which level of strategy.
Company Secretary role: CS = governance adviser + compliance guardian + board facilitator; The CS supports strategy through legal and governance advice and does not replace the CEO's role.

How to solve Strategists and Their Role in Strategic Management questions

Use this order for any question on strategists, strategic leadership or the CS role. It keeps the answer structured and case-linked.

1Read the question and mark the keyword: identify, explain, discuss, advise or evaluate.
2Define the term first, such as strategist or strategic leadership, in one or two lines.
3List the relevant strategists from the facts: board, CEO, senior managers, planners, CS.
4For each strategist, state the specific role in the strategic process, linked to the facts given.
5Bring in governance: board oversight, committees, accountability to shareholders, and the CS's compliance role.
6Apply the facts of the case. Say who should have acted and what went wrong or right.
7Conclude with a clear answer or recommendation in one or two sentences.

Quickest way: Who-Role-Link method

When to use it: Use when time is short or the question asks you to list or explain the roles of strategists.

Write the three words Who, Role, Link on your rough sheet.
Who: name the strategists in order: board, CEO, senior managers, planners, CS.
Role: give one crisp verb phrase for each, such as approves, formulates, analyses, ensures compliance.
Link: tie each role to the case facts or a strategy stage.
Write a one-line conclusion and move on.

Common mistakes in Strategists and Their Role in Strategic Management

Saying only the CEO is the strategist.
Students think of strategy as one leader's decision.
Fix: State that strategy involves the board, CEO, senior managers, planners and others. Present the CEO as the chief strategist, not the only one.
Giving the board a daily management role.
Students mix up governance with management.
Fix: Say the board provides direction, approval and oversight. Management, led by the CEO, runs operations and implements strategy.
Writing a generic list of strategists without applying it to the case.
Students recall notes instead of reading the facts.
Fix: After each role, add a phrase using the company or situation from the question.
Reducing the Company Secretary's role to filing forms and minutes.
The CS role is seen as clerical.
Fix: Describe the CS as governance adviser, compliance guardian and board facilitator who ensures strategic decisions follow law and proper approvals.
Confusing strategic leadership with general management skill.
Both terms sound alike.
Fix: Define strategic leadership as setting direction, aligning people and resources, and making key choices to achieve vision.

Worked examples

Example 1

Meridian Foods Ltd, a listed company, plans to enter the packaged snacks market. The MD prepared the plan, but the board approved it without discussion and the CS was informed only after the announcement. Identify the strategists and comment on the process.

Show the solution

Identify the strategists: the board of directors, the MD as chief executive, senior managers and planners who prepared data, and the CS.
State the proper roles: the MD formulates and recommends, the board examines, challenges and approves, and the CS advises on legal and governance requirements.
Apply the facts: the board approved without discussion, so its oversight role was weak. It acted as a formality.
Apply the facts: the CS was informed late, so compliance and disclosure aspects, such as approvals and listing disclosures, could not be checked in advance.
Conclude on the process.

Answer: The strategists are the board, the MD, senior managers and planners, and the CS. The MD's role in formulation was right, but the process was flawed. The board should have debated and challenged the plan, and the CS should have been involved before the announcement to ensure compliance and proper approvals.

Example 2

Explain the role of the Company Secretary in strategic management.

Show the solution

Define the context: the CS is a key managerial personnel and governance professional who works closely with the board.
Advisory role: advises the board on legal and governance implications of strategic decisions such as expansion, fundraising, mergers or investments.
Compliance role: ensures that decisions follow the Companies Act, 2013, SEBI regulations and secretarial standards, including approvals and disclosures.
Facilitation role: prepares board and committee agendas, supplies information, and records decisions so that strategy has a proper trail.
Contribution role: supports risk management, stakeholder and ESG discussions and monitors implementation from a compliance angle.
Add a limit: the CS supports strategy and does not replace the CEO or board in making strategic choices.

Answer: The Company Secretary acts as governance adviser, compliance guardian and board facilitator in strategic management. The CS ensures strategic decisions are legally valid, properly approved and disclosed, and helps the board and management work together, while the board and CEO remain responsible for the strategic choices.

Exam tips

Structure answers by role: board, CEO, senior managers and planners, then CS. Examiners look for this layered coverage.
In case questions, name who failed to perform their role and what they should have done, using the facts given.
When asked about the CS, always include advisory, compliance and board facilitation, and link to a specific decision in the case.
Define strategic leadership in one line before explaining, then give two or three leadership actions.
Keep the board's role as oversight and approval, and the CEO's role as formulation and implementation.

Practice questions from Introduction to Strategic Management

Strategists and Their Role in Strategic Management in other exams

The same ground in other exams, if you are preparing for more than one or want another angle on it.

CMA IntermediateStrategic Decision Making and Strategists

Strategists and Their Role in Strategic Management: frequently asked questions

Who are strategists in strategic management?

Strategists are those who take part in deciding and steering the organisation's strategy. They include the board of directors, the CEO or MD, senior and functional managers, strategic planners and, in a company, the Company Secretary in an advisory and governance role.

What is the role of the CEO in strategy?

The CEO is the chief strategist. The CEO formulates strategy in line with board direction, allocates resources, leads the top team and is accountable to the board for implementation and results.

What is the role of a Company Secretary in strategic management?

The CS advises the board on law and governance, ensures strategic decisions meet legal requirements and proper approvals, and helps prepare board agendas and records. The CS supports strategy but does not decide it.

What does strategic leadership mean?

Strategic leadership is the ability to set a clear direction, align people and resources, and make key choices that help the organisation achieve its vision. It is mainly exercised by the board and top management.