Corporate Office and Corporate Headquarters

Corporate office is also sometimes referred to as corporate headquarters is the main office of a corporation or a company where important decisions are made. It also serves as the central location where top executives and key decision makers of a corporation maintain their office. Corporate office can also be a registered office of a company and is sometimes also home to the major departments of a corporation such as strategic planning, corporate communications, taxes, law, books of record, marketing, finance, human resources, and information technology. Generally, corporate headquarters acts as a core when the business is operating. The corporate headquarters includes: the CEO as a key person and their support staff such as the CEO office and other CEO related functions; the “corporate policy making” functions: Include all corporate functions necessary to steer the firm by defining and establishing corporate policies; the corporate services: Activities that combine or consolidate certain enterprise-wide needed support services, provided based on specialized knowledge, best practices, and technology to serve internal (and sometimes external) customers and business partners; the interface: Reporting line and bi-directional link between corporate headquarters and business units. Most other divisions and branches report to the corporate headquarters and staff may visit there periodically for training or other instructions”. The corporate services are often relocated into a separate legal entity called shared services center. Research shows that the city in which a company is headquartered has a significant influence on the company’s activities, including its business practices and its corporate philanthropic giving.

What is the Difference Between Registered Office and Corporate Office?

The Head Office may or may not be the Registered office of the Company. It is entirely up to the Company to decide their Head Office for their internal work. The Corporate Office mainly means the office from where the Company or a corporation makes all the key decisions about running a business and governance.

Corporate office are equipped with Amenities such as work stations, office cabins, Conference rooms, Meeting Rooms, lounge areas for employees to hang out, business telephony systems, cafeterias and Gymnasiums. Depending on the scale of a company, amenities could be more or less but some of the major corporations in the world offer the best facilities and friendly working environment at their corporate offices.

It is important to note that a corporation’s physical corporate headquarters may not be the same place as where it is incorporated. The state of Delaware holds the record with about 60% of the publicly traded corporations (Fortune 500 companies) in the United States have been incorporated in the state. The General Corporation Law and Court of Chancery provide especially solid legal footing for businesses and that’s why it becomes the first choice for incorporation.

Major Role of a Corporate Office

A corporate office is the main office also knowns as the headquarters of a company where all major and key decisions are made. This office is usually the hub of the company and often serves as the central location where business policies and governance decisions are made. The corporate office is generally where the top executives of the company, including the CEO, maintain their offices.

Top 12 Largest Office Buildings in the World

1. The Pentagon – The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. The Pentagon building is Located in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., the building was designed by American architect George Bergstrom and built by contractor John McShain. Ground was broken on 11 September 1941, and the building was dedicated on 15 January 1943.
2. Desjardins Complex – It is a mixed-use office, hotel, and shopping mall complex located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Quartier des spectacles area of Saint Catherine Street. The project was designed to develop the eastern end of downtown Montreal, it is located in the quadrilateral formed by Saint Catherine, Saint-Urbain, Jeanne Mance and René Lévesque Boulevard.
3. Willis Tower – The Willis Tower (formerly known as and commonly referred to as the Sears Tower) is a 108-story, 1,450-foot (442.1 m) skyscraper in Chicago. The tower has 108 stories as counted by standard methods, though the building’s owners count the main roof as 109 and the mechanical penthouse roof as 110.
4. Place du Portage – A government facility, located in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. This large complex contains 70 floors, stretched out over five towers holding roughly 10,000 office workers. The Ottawa River-facing complex includes pedestrian bridges that form its own type of “underground city.”
5. One World Trade Center: Outside of New York, it’s commonly referred to as the Freedom Tower. Within the city’s five boroughs it’s simply 1 World Trade. The skyscraper was built next to the former site of the Twin Towers and is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Underground tunnels connect the building to major transit hubs.
6. Burj Khalifa: The United Arab Emirates prides itself on its skyscrapers, which is why the Burj Khalifa building (formerly Burj Dubai) is particularly special. The building broke multiple records, including its status as the tallest building in the world—213 meters taller than its closest competitor.
7. CCTV Headquarters: Don’t worry, this Beijing building is not 389,079 square meters of closed-circuit television. CCTV is the China Central Television company located in the Beijing Central Business District. The building’s odd shape, with six vertical and horizontal stretches, earned it the nickname “big pants.”
8. USAA Headquarters, McDermott Building: Founded in San Antonio, Texas, by 25 U.S. Army offices, the USAA is an insurance network for 12.4 million members, all of whom serve or have served in the U.S. military. Managing insurance for that many takes a lot of space, which is why the McDermott Building covers 362,322 square meters.
9. Aon Center: The Aon Center has changed in name since its construction in 1974. It was originally the Standard Oil Building until Amoco took over. It served as headquarters for the oil conglomerates; Aon, an international consulting firm, rents space in the building for its U.S. operations.
10. Taipei 101: Formerly the Taipei World Financial Center, the Taiwan-based building was the tallest in the world until the Burj Khalifa topped out. The building is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes, and is the location for China’s New Year’s Eve fireworks show.
11. Petronas Towers – The Petronas Towers, or the Petronas Twin Towers are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)’s official definition and ranking, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 when they were surpassed by Taipei 101. The Petronas Towers remain the tallest twin towers in the world. The buildings will remain the tallest buildings in Malaysia until the completion of the Merdeka PNB 118 (expected in 2022). They are a major landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower, and are visible in many places across the city.
12. CCTV Headquarters – The CCTV Headquarters serves as the headquarters for China Central Television (CCTV) that was formerly at the old China Central Television Building located at 11 Fuxin Road some 15 km (9.3 mi) to the west. The tower is a 234-metre (768 ft), 51-story skyscraper on East Third Ring Road, Guanghua Road in the Beijing Central Business District (CBD). 

Corporate Office FAQs

What City Of the United Kingdom is the Home to the most Corporate Headquarters?

The biggest multinationals have overwhelmingly chosen London as their European HQ: London and the Wider South East host 55% of the world’s largest 500 companies’ European HQs, according to Deloitte.

Which State Of the United States is the Home to the most Corporate Headquarters?

New York tops the list with 54 Fortune 500 corporations maintaining their corporate Headquarters in the State while California comes second with a total of 53 Fortune 500 companies.

Where Is Walmart’s Corporate Headquarters?

The Walmart corporate headquarters is located in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Why Are Companies Moving to Texas?

Many tech companies have cited high taxes, housing prices, and cost of living as their reasons for relocating their headquarters to Texas.

FAQs from Quora about Headquarters?

Bottom Line

The corporate headquarters is an important location for any company and the site where key decision-makers sit. Today, online communications and remote working have made the physical locations seem less important, but there is still a high symbolic value for companies based in prestigious cities around the world. However, many companies are choosing to relocate in search of more advantageous tax benefits and growth.

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