How to Create a Wikipedia Page For an Executive?

We are regularly approached at Wikiconsult by executives (or their communications teams) to create or edit their Wikipedia pages.

This article covers everything executives of small, mid-sized, and large companies need to know about creating and editing their Wikipedia pages.

The Key Benefits of a Wikipedia Page for Executives

In many fields—especially media, the arts, and academia—having a presence on Wikipedia has become a standard. Being featured on the platform places individuals within a recognized network of peers, experts, and competitors, where their name appears alongside other notable figures in their industry.

Beyond this symbolic recognition, a well-crafted Wikipedia page boosts an executive’s visibility and credibility. It enhances their appeal to media outlets, investors, and potential partners who are looking for quick, reliable information.

It’s also a strategic way to shape—at least to some extent—one’s online reputation. When someone Googles your name, your Wikipedia page is often one of the first results. It offers a lasting way to share your ideas, highlight your work, and showcase your expertise—far beyond the short life cycle of traditional communications.

Wikipedia, created in 2001, is now among the top 5 most visited websites in the world (according to Semrush), with nearly 6 billion visits per month on the English-language Wikipedia alone.

Can an Executive or Their Team Edit Wikipedia?

It is not forbidden to create or edit your own Wikipedia page, or that of your employer or client, although it is generally discouraged.

If you do edit in this context, you must clearly disclose your connection to the person or organization you’re writing about. You can do this:

• on your user page;
• on the Talk page of the article you’re editing;
• in the edit summary when publishing the page or your changes.

You must clearly state on whose behalf you are editing (including yourself), even if the compensation is indirect.

What are the risks of not disclosing this?

• Your page or edits are more likely to be deleted.
• URLs you add may be permanently blacklisted.
• Your account or IP address may be blocked.
• Warning banners such as “Undisclosed Paid Contribution” or “Advertising” may appear prominently at the top of the page—often in red—and can be extremely difficult to remove.

What Are the Eligibility Criteria for Creating a Wikipedia Page About a CEO or Executive?

There are no special notability criteria for executives.

In this context, the general notability guidelines apply—the same ones used for all individuals.

Here they are:

You must have:

• At least two media features;
• Published at least two years apart;
• Focused exclusively on you (not your company or your role in a broader story);
• From well-known national media outlets (not local or niche trade publications);
• That are not press releases, sponsored content, or lightly rewritten versions of either.

⚠️ Important: Being invited to speak as an expert on a current topic on a major business news channel does not qualify as a feature centered on you.

Notice that you may find other executives on Wikipedia who don’t appear to meet these criteria. In most cases, their pages were created more than a decade ago, when notability standards were much looser.

Such pages can be deleted at any time—and that happens daily. Today, getting a page approved without strictly meeting these requirements is nearly impossible.

What Should a Wikipedia Page About an Executive Include?

To write your biography or the Wikipedia page for your firm, I recommend drawing inspiration from Wikipedia’s high-quality, featured articles about other entrepreneurs and CEOs—for example, the one about Steve Jobs.

Typically, your page will include:

• an infobox, featuring a freely licensed photo of you and key summary information;
• an introduction, summarizing the entire article in one or a few sentences, with a length proportional to the article itself;
• a Biography section, potentially divided into subsections (e.g., early life and education, career, personal life, etc.);
• a Honors and awards section, if applicable;
• a Bibliography section, if relevant;
• an external link to your professional website (or possibly your company’s website);
• the addition of categories and portals, especially the Business portal.

Each piece of information must be backed by a source that is independent of you or your company.

What to Do in Case of Ineligibility on Wikipedia?

If you’re not eligible for a dedicated Wikipedia page, you can sometimes contribute content to existing pages — for example, the one about your company.

If your goal is truly to have your own Wikipedia page, you’ll probably need to work on your press relations. (We provide some guidance on this at the end of each of our notability audits, if the result is negative.)