An executive bio page that event organisers and journalists can use
An executive bio page is mostly read by people who need to copy something from it: a conference organiser writing a programme, a journalist checking a title, a board secretary preparing papers. Give them the bio at three lengths, a downloadable-quality headshot, the facts they'll check, and one way to reach you or your office. Keep the tone formal, factual and current.
Three lengths, written once
Everyone who needs your bio needs a different length, and if you don't supply it they'll cut your long one themselves, often badly. Write all three, in the third person, and keep them consistent.
| Length | Used for | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| One line (about 25 words) | Panel introductions, bylines, social profiles | Name, current role, organisation, one defining fact |
| Short (about 80 words) | Event programmes, press releases | Current role, a previous role or two, one achievement, one board seat |
| Long (250 to 350 words) | Annual reports, board papers, speaker packs | Career in order of relevance, boards, education, a personal note if you want one |
Write the long version first, then cut. Each shorter version should be a fair summary of the longer one, not a different emphasis. Put the date of the last update under the bios, so readers know they're current.
What else belongs on the page
- A headshot that works at small sizes: plain background, head and shoulders, recent. Offer a portrait and a landscape crop, and state the photographer credit if one is required.
- Current roles and boards, as a plain list with organisation names spelled exactly as the organisations spell them.
- Speaking topics: three or four subjects you'll speak on, each with a sentence, and the formats you accept (keynote, panel, fireside chat).
- Recent appearances and writing: a short list with dates and links, newest first.
- Press and speaking contact: one route, which may be your office or a communications team rather than you.
- Pronunciation of your name, if it's often got wrong. Event hosts will thank you.
Tone and what to leave out
Executive bios go wrong in predictable ways. Adjectives ("visionary", "dynamic") are for others to use about you, and readers discount them anyway; replace each with a fact. Lists of every past job read as padding; three relevant ones read as a career. Anything market-sensitive or not yet announced, such as a forthcoming appointment, stays off until it's public. If you sit on the board of a listed company, check with its company secretary whether there's a house style for your title and committee roles.
Building it with Anticode
Describe it, for example "a formal bio page for a chief financial officer with a headshot, bio at three lengths, current boards, speaking topics and a contact form for press and event organisers". The Architect plans the sections and may ask about tone; Luxury (Jost) and Swiss (Inter Tight) suit a formal page, Editorial (Geist) a more writerly one. Upload your headshot and the model sees it and places it, with alt text. Each design system keeps to one font family and one accent colour, so the page can match a company's restrained style.
The contact form asks for a name, email and message. Submissions are saved, sealed at rest and can be emailed to you, and a connector can send them on to Slack or a shared Google Sheet so an office team can see requests. When a role changes, edit the text in place in the visual editor; recent versions are kept in version history. Publish on your own domain on a paid plan, such as yourname.com, so the address outlasts any one employer. For a broader site, see personal brand website and speaker website.
Limits
- No press kit downloads such as zip files of photos; send high-resolution images on request, or link to a shared folder.
- No private sections for board papers or investor material. Published pages are public.
- No embedded video of past talks; link to recordings instead.
- English only: the builder and the pages it generates are in English, so a bio in other languages would need separate handling.
Questions people ask
First person or third person?
Third person for an executive bio page, because people copy it into programmes and press releases. A first-person note can sit separately if you want warmth.
Should a company bio page and a personal one say the same thing?
The facts should match exactly. The personal page can include boards and interests the company page leaves out.
How often should I update it?
Whenever a role changes, and otherwise every six months. Update the date beside the bio when you do.