What is the difference between stakeholders and shareholders?

Question

Are stakeholders and shareholders the same thing? Or is there a difference? If yes, what is the difference. Also if they're different, do both of them apply in a project management context (I know for sure that stakeholders does).

Answer 1

Stakholders, in Project Management, are people who have interest in your project. Stakeholders might include executives, functional managers, financial managers, clients, etc... Team members are sometimes considered stakeholders.

Shareholders, on the other hand, are people who own stock in the company.

A stakeholder can also be a shareholder, for example, an executive who has interest in your project, and who owns stock in the company.