| Post: | Director-General |
| Body: | CERN |
| Native Name: | Directeur général or Directrice générale |
| Incumbent: | Fabiola Gianotti |
| Incumbentsince: | 1 January 2016 |
| Reports To: | CERN Council |
| Appointer: | CERN Council |
| Termlength: | 5 years |
| Termlength Qualified: | typical length |
| Precursor: | Secretary-General |
| Formation: | October 1954 |
| First: | Felix Bloch |
| Abbreviation: | DG |
CERN directors general typically serve 5 year terms beginning on January 1.
| In office | Directors General | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952–1954 | Edoardo Amaldi (Secretary-General)[1] |  Italy | |
| 1954–1955 | Felix Bloch[2] |  Switzerland | |
| 1955–1960 | Cornelis Bakker |  Netherlands | |
| 1960–1961 | John Adams (acting director) |  United Kingdom | |
| 1961–1965 | Victor Frederick Weisskopf |  United States | |
| 1966–1970 | Bernard Gregory |  France | |
| 1971–1975 | Willibald Jentschke (co-directors) |  Austria | |
| John Adams (co-directors) | United Kingdom | ||
| 1976–1980 | Léon Van Hove (co-directors)[3] |  Belgium | |
| John Adams (co-directors) | United Kingdom | ||
| 1981–1988 | Herwig Schopper |  Germany | |
| 1989–1993 | Carlo Rubbia | Italy | |
| 1994–1998 | Christopher Llewellyn Smith | United Kingdom | |
| 1999–2003 | Luciano Maiani |  San Marino | |
| 2004–2008 | Robert Aymar | France | |
| 2009–2015 | Rolf-Dieter Heuer | Germany | |
| 2016–2020 | Fabiola Gianotti | Italy | |
| 2021–2025 | Fabiola Gianotti | Italy | |
| 2026–2031 | Mark Thomson | United Kingdom |