Are most Fortune 500 C-suite executives internal or external hires? What is their average job tenure? How diverse is the C-suite?
To find out, Spencer Stuart researchers examined the executive leader profiles for companies included in the 2024 Fortune 500 list.
The researchers found that 76% of CEOs at Fortune 500 companies were internal hires and 58% of CMOs were internal hires.
CEOs at Fortune 500 companies have an average tenure of 7.4 years, and CMOs have an average tenure of 4.3 years.
Some 11% of CEOs at Fortune 500 companies are women, and 14% come from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Some 53% of CMOs at Fortune 500 companies are women, and 12% come from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.
About the research: The report was based on an analysis of the executive leader profiles for companies included in the 2024 Fortune 500 list.