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What it takes to be a FTSE CEO
Becoming the CEO of a company takes grit, determination and experience. For those starting a business, you may want to look up to successful CEOs for guidance and understanding on what it takes. After all, learning from those who have already reached the top can offer valuable insight. And where better to start than the FTSE 100 CEOs?
We’ve pulled together research on the 100 CEOs in the FTSE to find out key trends such as the average length of service at the company, total years of experience, average number of roles before becoming CEO, as well as company loyalty to reveal what it really takes to lead from the highest level.
Stand out stats
Who are the FTSE CEOs?
The FTSE 100 is made up of the biggest 100 companies in the UK, spanning industries from finance and tech to retail and travel, and all spearheaded by CEOs who are resonsible for steering strategic direction and long-term growth. Companies include Auto Trader Group, Coca Cola, Easy Jet and Marks & Spencer to name a few.
Of the 100, just 10 are led by female CEOs, highlighting the ongoing gender gap at the executive level. The companies with female CEOs include Admiral Group, Aviva Plc, BT Group plc, Diageo plc, Entain plc, F&C Investment Trust plc, GSK plc, Severn Trent PLC, Taylor Wimpey plc and United Utilities Group Plc.
The average age of FTSE CEOs is 56, with the youngest being Nathan Coe (47), CEO of Auto Trader and the oldest Ian Cockerill (70), CEO of Endeavour Mining. This suggests that the FTSE 100 companies clearly value experience, but with younger, tech-savvy leaders emerging all around the world, how long before we see this average start to drop?
How much experience do you need to have to be a FTSE CEO?
We wanted to understand the full range of experience top leaders have. Therefore, where the information was publicly available, we researched the total number of years of career experience each FTSE 100 CEO had accumulated, to the point they were appointed as CEO of their current firm.
Our analysis revealed that the average FTSE 100 CEO is a highly seasoned professional, boasting an impressive 31 years of career experience before taking the top spot. Notably, 23 CEOs fall within the 31-35 year experience bracket, highlighting just how much time it typically takes to reach the top.
However, as with any average, there are some outliers. We found that two leaders have under 10 years of experience; George Weston of Associated British Foods stepped into the CEO position with 10 years of prior experience, while Frank van Zanten of Bunzl took the helm with just 9 years under his belt, proving that, in some cases, swift rises to the top do happen.
How many roles does it take to become CEO?
It's a common thought that loyalty should be rewarded, especially in the corporate world. But does this hold true at the very top? We wanted to understand just how much internal dedication and climbing the corporate ladder actually contribute to being a CEO.
To explore this, we dived into finding out the number of internal roles each FTSE 100 CEO held before taking the helm of their current company.
Our data shows 29 out of the 100 current FTSE CEOs were appointed directly into the chief executive role, without having occupied any prior positions within that specific company.
This suggests that for nearly a third of the UK's top firms, the search for leadership talent extends beyond internal candidates, often favouring external expertise and a fresh perspective.
Number of roles within the company | No. of FTSE CEOs |
1 | 29 |
2 | 24 |
3 | 8 |
4 | 6 |
5 | 1 |
6 | 3 |
7 | 1 |
8 | 1 |
9 | 1 |
10 | 0 |
11 | 1 |
12-25 | 2 |
Are you rewarded for length of service?
Beyond just the number of internal positions held, we dug into how long FTSE 100 CEOs have actually been with their current firms. Does a lengthy tenure genuinely lead to the top job, or is it more about rapid ascent?
Our findings paint an interesting picture: a significant chunk of top executives are relatively new to their corner offices. 30 CEOs have been with their companies for five years or less. This suggests that reaching the pinnacle doesn't necessarily require decades of loyal service, and in many cases, fresh perspectives and external experience are seen as valuable assets at the executive level.
Yet, the other end of the spectrum shows that loyalty can indeed be rewarded, epitomised by Fernando Fernandez, CEO of Unilever PLC, who stands out with an incredible 37 years at the company.
Length of time at company (years) | No. of FTSE CEOs |
0-5 | 30 |
6-10 | 24 |
11-15 | 8 |
16-20 | 5 |
21-25 | 1 |
26-30 | 4 |
31-35 | 4 |
36-40 | 2 |
41-45 | 0 |
46-50 | 0 |
The path to FTSE 100: Does one size fit all?
Our research reveals that while experience, loyalty and progression within a company are common amongst the FTSE 100 CEOs, there is no single formula for reaching the top. Whereas some CEOs bring decades of industry experience, others arrive from outside the company and have relatively short tenures before stepping into the leadership role.
This diversity highlights that the journey to becoming a CEO is varied, and for aspiring leaders, the key to reaching the top is clear - develop broad experience, stay adaptable and be open to different pathways.
As the business landscape evolves, with younger, tech-savvy talent emerging globally, it will be interesting to see how these trends shift and shape the CEOs of tomorrow.
Methodology
Using LinkedIn, we collected data from FTSE 100 CEO profile pages. Where needed, years of service were rounded to the nearest whole year. We collected data using all publicly available information - in some instances, some gaps may exist where certain details were unavailable due to inconsistencies, such as profiles not being updated. Any FTSE 100 CEOs without LinkedIn profiles were removed from specific data gathering.