The CEO tends to be the oldest and longest-tenured member of a large company's C-level executive team, according to recent research from Korn Ferry.

The report was based on an analysis conducted in 2016 of the top 1,000 US companies by revenue. The researchers examined the age and tenure of executives holding common C-suite titles (CEO, CFO, CHRO, CMO, and CIO) for each firm.

The average overall age for a C-suite member is 54, and the average tenure is 5.3 years, the analysis found.

CMOs

The average age of a CMO is 52, and the average tenure of a CMO is 4.1 years, the shortest of all the C-suite titles examined.

CMOs in the life sciences and professional services sectors have the oldest average age (54); CMOs in the consumer sector have the youngest average age (50).

The longest average CMO tenure is in the financial services industry (5.1 years), and the shortest is in the life sciences sector (3.1 years).

CEOs

The average age for a CEO across industries is 58, and the average tenure is 8.0 years.

CEOs in the financial services sector have the highest average age (60) and longest average tenure (9.7 years).

CEOs in the technology sector have the youngest average age (55), and leaders in the energy sector have the shortest average tenure (6.1 years).

About the research: The report was based on an analysis conducted in 2016 of the top 1,000 US companies by revenue. The researchers examined the age and tenure of individuals holding common C-suite titles (CEO, CFO, CHRO, CMO, and CIO) for each firm.

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The Average Age and Tenure of C-Suite Executives

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Ayaz Nanji

Ayaz Nanji is a writer, editor, and a content strategist. He is a co-founder of ICW Media and a research writer for MarketingProfs. He has worked for Google/YouTube, the Travel Channel, and the New York Times.

LinkedIn: Ayaz Nanji

Twitter: @ayaznanji