Abstract
With the rise of social media, executives increasingly communicate directly with stakeholders through platforms such as LinkedIn. This study examines how executive influencers (ExIs) help establish legitimacy narratives around themselves and their organisations in digital environments. Drawing on a qualitative research design using trace interviews with 30 LinkedIn users, the study explores how audiences interpret executive communication and form perceptions of organisational legitimacy. The findings show that legitimacy is constructed in two main ways: through stories about the organisation’s work and through the perceived credibility of the executive influencer. Participants valued narratives about growth, challenges, products, and long-term vision, which helped them view organisations as capable and purposeful. At the same time, executives’ experience, authority, and resulting credibility shaped how these stories were received. The study also identifies a two-way relationship between executive presence and employer brand, where legitimacy can flow from the organisation to the executive and vice versa.