Over 80% of new APAC CEOs in H1 2025 came from internal promotions

Planned successions accounted for one-third of CEO changes, reflecting increasing maturity in leadership planning across the region.

The CEO plays a pivotal role in shaping an organisation’s long-term growth and sustainability. Due to regulatory and trade uncertainties, companies across the globe are adopting a cautious approach to CEO changes – yet APAC markets are showing more dynamic leadership strategies.

According to the latest Global CEO Turnover Index released by Russell Reynolds Associates, the APAC region recorded a 7% turnover rate in the first half of 2025, with 43 CEO departures.

Notably, Japan saw higher activity, with 23 CEOs exiting – likely driven by market-specific targeted strategic shifts and business transformations.

However, on the broader regional level, the turnover rates were relatively stable – with 2.4% in Hong Kong, 6% in Australia, and 8% in India.

Globally, the average tenure of outgoing CEOs declined to 6.8 years in H1 2025, down from 7.7 years a year earlier, marking the lowest since tracking began in 2018. Six CEOs exited after less than 12 months, 11 lasted fewer than three years. Among the region, Singapore stood out with a longer average CEO tenure of 8.8 years.

Gender disparity in leadership changes remains stark. In APAC, 98% of departing CEOs in H1 2025 were men, closely mirroring the global figure of 96%.

Departure reasons across the board were complex and varied, including:

• Removals (10)
• Retirements (24)
• Planned successions (36)
• Leaving for new opportunities or personal reasons.

Despite the changes, a standout trend in APAC was the strength of internal succession planning.

As shown by the survey results, 82.5% of new CEOs in APAC in H1 2025 were appointed from within the organisation, including:

• internal appointments: 33
• external hires: 7
• first-time CEOs: 36
• men appointed: 38
• women appointed: 2

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) role continues to serve as a key pathway to the CEO position, accounting for around 26% of internal CEO successions.

Furthermore, planned successions accounted for one-third of CEO changes, reflecting increasing maturity in leadership planning across the region.

"Companies that prioritise strategic succession planning and invest in developing internal leadership pipelines are better positioned to sustain long-term growth amid these dynamic market conditions," said Euan Kenworthy who leads Russell Reynolds Associates' Southeast Asia operations.

The Global Index of CEO Turnover tracks CEO departures from constituent companies across global stock indices, including ASX 200 (Australia), HANG SENG (Hong Kong), Nikkei 225 (Japan), NSE Nifty 50 (India), and STI (Singapore).