FTSE 100 chief executive appointments doubled in the first half of this year, while global CEO departures have reached their lowest level for nine years, indicating a stabilisation of corporate leadership in the face of geopolitical uncertainties.

Russell Reynolds Associates, a global search firm, reveal in their latest CEO Turnover Index that there were six CEO appointments among the UK’s largest 100 companies in the first six months of 2026, up from three in the same period last year.

At the same time, global CEO departures dropped from 118 to 101.

Elsewhere, the research shows boards are betting on proven CEOs rather than newbies and the number of women appointed to CEO roles is on the rise.

The report says: “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.”

Figures for women appointed to the CEO position reached the highest level for nine years. However, the uptick—now 16% of the total—is mostly accounted for by Australian Stock Exchange companies and the Euronext 100.

Russell Reynolds says the picture is “uneven”.

“In the S&P, women accounted for three of 32 appointments, 9%. In the FTSE 100, women accounted for one of six appointments.

“These figures suggest that while the h1 picture improved, the trend across the major US and UK indices remained more limited.”

Experience preferred

There were stark numbers on who is being recruited, with experienced CEOs accounting for 23% of the 131 incoming leaders—also the highest figure in nine years.

However, there are indications that many boards are building “succession pathways” that give them options to either pick an insider or recruit externally.

“Institutional investors have increasingly encouraged boards to create CEO successions as a multiyear governance responsibility, and the high proportion of internal appointments suggests many boards are continuing to invest in long-term CEO pipeline development.

“Where credible candidates have been developed, boards continue to prefer leaders whose capabilities, judgment and knowledge of the organisation are already well understood.”

The Russell Reynolds findings support research elsewhere that has already suggested that boards may be playing it safe with CEO appointments, particularly in Europe, where around half of CEOs appointed have already had experience of the hot seat.

There have been concerns that women were being redirected from high level executive leadership by being appointed as non-executives. That may prove to be a hindrance to taking on other roles, such as chair.

A report from the FTSE Women Leaders Group and Glasgow University, says that the “focus on gender diverse boards created a high demand for senior women in non-executives role which, unintentionally, caused many talented executive women to exit their executive careers earlier than they otherwise would have done.”