YPO (formerly Young Presidents' Organization) is a network of young chief executives with approximately 27,000 members in more than 130 countries, according to the organization's 2019 YPO international fact sheet.

YPO was founded in 1950 in Rochester, New York, by manufacturer Ray Hickok, who was 27 years old when he became the head of his family's Rochester-based Hickok Belt, a 300-employee company.

The first meeting was held at the Waldorf Astoria New York and was attended by Robert Wood Johnson III (Johnson & Johnson).^[1] Hickok and a small group of young presidents in the area began meeting regularly to share and learn from each other. According to the organization, its founding principle is that of education and idea exchange among peers.^[2]

As of 2019, there are more than 450 chapters worldwide and 27,000 members.^[6]

YPO membership is generally by invitation only. To qualify for membership, a person must have become, before age 45, the president or chairman and chief executive officer of a corporation of significance with a minimum revenue and minimum number of employees. The financial criteria differ for service companies and banks.^[1] Candidates must be typically recommended by two members of a local chapter and approved by a membership committee of each local chapter.^[1]

Pat McNees, YPO: The First 50 Years. (Orange Frazer Press, 1999). ISBN 978-1-882203-59-8 OCLC 1011912188 ^[14]