The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu The leading online blog in the fields of corporate governance and financial regulation. Sat, 15 Aug 2026 11:30:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.10 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cropped-photography-4-e1706898544564-1-32x32.png Global CEO Turnover Index – The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu 32 32 Global CEO Turnover Index https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2026/08/13/global-ceo-turnover-index/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=global-ceo-turnover-index https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2026/08/13/global-ceo-turnover-index/#respond Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:32:36 +0000 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/?p=183025?d=20260813100531EDT Posted by Rusty O'Kelley and Emma Combe, Russell Reynolds Associates, on Thursday, August 13, 2026
Editor's Note:

Rusty O’Kelley co-leads the Global Board & CEO Advisory Practice and Emma Combe leads the UK Board Practice at Russell Reynolds Associates. This post is based on their Russell Reynolds memorandum.

Global CEO departures drop to lowest H1 level, while appointments hold steady

After two years of elevated CEO turnover across the world’s largest indices, H1 2026 data suggests that leadership change is beginning to stabilize.

Globally, 101 CEOs departed their roles, down from 118 in H1 2025 and the lowest H1 departure total in our nine-year tracking period. At the same time, global CEO hiring held steady, with 131 CEO appointments, broadly in line with the nine-year H1 average (129).

The decline in CEO turnover was driven primarily by the Nikkei 225, where CEO departures fell from 30 to 19 year-on-year, while CEO appointments fell from 33 to 22. The S&P 500 also recorded fewer CEO transitions, declining from 36 to 30 year-on-year, while appointments declined from 37 to 32.

The moderation in CEO turnover coincided with broader market conditions that may have reduced pressure for leadership change, including rising stock markets in markets like the US.

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