Purpose – This study examined gender differences in CEOs’ expression of implicit achievement, power, and affiliation motivation. Building on the role congruity account of sex differences and similarities in motivation and existing literature on implicit motives, the study tested whether female CEOs would express higher affiliation motivation than male CEOs and similar levels of achievement motivation. In addition, gender differences in power motivation were explored. Design/methodology/approach – The study used propensity score matching to generate a comparable sample of male and female CEOs from publicly-traded companies. Subsequently, the authors content-coded CEO letters from annual reports using Winter’s (1994) manual for scoring motive imagery in running text. Findings – Overall, CEOs expressed more achievement and power motivation than affiliation motivation. Comparisons between male and female CEOs showed that female CEOs expressed lower power and higher affiliation motivation than male CEOs. Research limitations/implications – By integrating implicit motive theory with social role theory and the role congruity account of motivation, this study provides a theoretical framework and novel demonstration that understanding social roles and gender roles can lend insights into motive expression by CEOs. Originality/value – The study uses established theory and a validated scoring method in a novel way by analyzing implicit motives from CEO letters, a critical communication channel in the CEO-shareholder relationship. In doing so, this study adopts a socio-cultural perspective. Informed by the role congruity account of motivation, the study demonstrates the importance of social roles and gender roles for motivational displays.