CEO departures decline globally in second quarter of 2024: report

Within the second quarter of 2024, CEO departures reached their lowest stage for Q2 for the reason that International CEO Turnover Index started monitoring in 2018, based on the Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA).

Solely 51 CEOs left their roles within the second quarter this yr, based on the index, barely decrease than the 52 CEOs who departed within the earlier quarter.

Deliberate CEO successions accounted for 23% of all outgoing CEOs within the second quarter, greater than double the six-year common of 11%.

CEO dismissals, alternatively, had been down by greater than half the quarterly common to only 12% globally this quarter, based on the report.

_{Supply: Russell Reynolds Associates’ International CEO Turnover Index}

In the case of CEO appointments, 78% of them had been inside promotions.

“We’re beginning to see the advantages of a long-term cultural shift in direction of succession planning and the promotion of inside candidates,” stated Emma Combe, Head of UK Board Follow at RRA, in a statement.

“With the appropriate preparation, internal candidates regularly outperform even skilled exterior candidates due to their deep institutional data and robust cultural ties to their organisation.”

Politics affecting boardrooms

As CEO departures dropped to record-low ranges within the second quarter, the RRA additionally discovered that there have been no CEO departures or appointments within the FTSE 100.

_{Supply: Russell Reynolds Associates’ International CEO Turnover Index}

The RRA attributed the dearth of CEO motion to the boards wanting stability amid anticipated political disruptions throughout Europe.

“We’re seeing boards attain for consistency in management to steer them by these transitions,” stated Laura Sanderson Co-Head of Europe, Center East & India at RRA, in a press release.

“With sustainability policy, taxation and development turning into extremely politicised points, the power of management groups to pivot shortly to the surprising will probably be key.”

Girls as CEOs go up

In the meantime, the report additionally discovered that there have been 5 girls appointed as CEOs out of 51 international appointments made within the second quarter.

The proportion of ladies in CEO positions additionally grew by 7.7% globally from the primary quarter of 2018 to the second quarter of 2024.

“To realize true gender stability on the high, we have to create systemic adjustments to how succession is planned, managed, and executed,” the RRA stated in its report. “The scope of CEO candidacy must be widened and organisations must take the preparation of ladies for CEO roles way more severely—investing extra of their girls leaders, growing pipelines, and addressing bias.”