Singapore CEOs among the shortest-serving in the world—Study

SINGAPORE: A new study reveals that Singaporean CEOs have some of the shortest tenures in the world, with an average duration of just 3.1 years, according to a report from BusinessFinancing.co.uk, which examined the resumes of 100,000 global CEOs active on LinkedIn.

The study aimed to identify countries, cities, and states where CEOs have the longest and shortest average tenures.

Singapore’s CEOs rank third in terms of shortest tenure, tied with Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, where CEOs also average 3.1 years in their roles.

Denmark, with an average tenure of 2.9 years, is leading the list for the shortest CEO terms, and Azerbaijan, where CEOs typically last 2.8 years. In contrast, some countries boast much longer CEO tenures.

Lebanon tops the list with an average CEO tenure of 8.5 years. Following closely are Turkmenistan with 7.9 years, Greece with 7.7 years, China with 6.8 years, and Italy rounding out the top five with 6.7 years.

Malaysia also stands out, ranking 16th globally, with CEOs serving an average of 6 years.

Laura Alber, the longest-tenured woman in the Fortune 500, shared insights into the benefits of long CEO tenures at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in 2023.

Ms Alber, who has led Williams-Sonoma for over a decade, said, “If you’re super present in what you’re doing, then you’re not always thinking about the next thing, which is counterintuitive to what most people tell you about careers.”

She emphasized, “If you give it your all, people notice, and they connect better with you and you get more done.”

For the complete report into which countries, cities, and states have CEOs with the longest tenures, check here. /TISG

Read also: Singapore CEOs are shifting focus to AI investments, deprioritising investing in sustainability initiatives

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