CEO Search & Succession

At Egon Zehnder, we have spent more than 50 years advising clients on chief executive leadership succession, recruitment, and professional development all over the world. We recognize that the selection of a CEO is the midpoint of a process, not the end. And for everyone involved, from the executive to the board of directors, to employees and key stakeholders, the appointment is merely a moment in a multidimensional transition. Therefore, we believe it is important to partner with our clients to deliver a comprehensive and effective CEO transition, succession, and onboarding protocol.

Over the past five years, we have applied our own future-oriented, proprietary approach to more than 1,800 CEO mandates. We understand that the Chief Executive role is unique, particularly in the current atmosphere of complexity and volatility. These uncertainties require a pragmatic and aligned view on the business and leadership requirements of the CEO, one that must be reviewed regularly over the course of a transition.
 

For maximum impact, we aim to partner with our clients in all aspects of the CEO leadership journey. That journey begins by aligning with your board regarding the company's future transformational needs and CEO requirements. We then help you build a compelling internal pipeline of senior leaders with CEO potential by identifying, assessing, and advising them on their development journey. This process builds a strong top team and helps create support for the selected CEO. Working with our own global industry practices, we have access to the best external candidates. We assess them based on the same robust and comprehensive methodology that we use with internal candidates.

The CEO transition process also means working hand-in-hand with your board of directors to develop a clear, workable succession plan — one that enables executives to transform their leadership strengths through our heralded Executive Breakthrough Program, developed and facilitated in tandem with Mobius Executive Leadership. Once you’ve chosen your leader, our “Accelerated CEO Impact” service supports the executive onboarding. This bespoke program begins before the CEO’s first day and helps make their first 100 days and beyond a success.