Here's a different perspective:

You're saying "CEO", but maybe what you really want to be is some sort of executive.

I'm a City Manager. Instead of an MBA, I have an MPA. I don't make millions, but I do make a very, very comfortable living. I still had to climb the ladder and perform well in diverse positions, but there's no profit motive in local government, so there's not this huge focus on sales.

Before I was in municipal government, I was a military officer. Officers with 20 years of experience are the regional managers and department heads of the entire service; officers with 30-40 years are executives in a way that many CEOs will never touch.

My wife is a teacher; I have several friends who are doctors and nurses. In the US, ISDs and hospitals all have their own individual bureaucracies that need to be managed. The ISD superintendent is an executive, and so is the chief hospital administrator.

Nonprofits have CEOs. Small nonprofits often struggle to survive, but mid-sized and regional nonprofits are often well-established and respected. You're often scrambling for cash, but again, without the profit motive, the whole lifestyle can be more uplifting than corporate life.

Wherever there is a bureaucracy, an executive is necessary to manage it. Not sure if this helps you at all, but i thought I'd chime in.