Inside the high-stakes evolution of CEO succession planning

November 17, 2025

CEO turnover is at a record high due to various factors including an unpredictable macroenvironment, AI acceleration, and leaders reaching retirement age, forcing organizations to rethink the way they approach succession planning and set future leaders up for success.

As organizations face mounting pressure to be more proactive in future-proofing business success, upholding stability and leadership assessments are top of the corporate board priority list. Senior Partners Deb Rubin and Dan Russell spoke with Quartz’s Matthew Fray about what makes up an effective succession plan, the factors driving urgency for boards to rethink their assessment and succession strategies, and best practices for preparing potential leaders to take on the CEO title.