Key Takeaway: Age can provide useful context in executive succession and workforce planning, but it should not be used as a proxy for leadership capability. China’s demographic structure is changing rapidly: people aged 60 and over represented 23.0% of the population in 2025, while the country has begun gradually increasing
Key Takeaway: Cultural fit in China should not mean hiring executives who simply resemble the existing leadership team. It means assessing whether a candidate can operate effectively within the organisation’s values, decision-making model and working environment while navigating the specific commercial and stakeholder context of China. This matters particularly for
Key Takeaway: Leadership departures are not exceptional events and should not be treated as unexpected organisational interruptions. In 2025, 168 new CEOs were appointed across the S&P 1500, the highest number since 2010. The companies best positioned to manage leadership transitions are those that use the departure to reassess strategic
Key Takeaway: China remains one of the world’s largest markets, with GDP reaching RMB 140.19 trillion in 2025 and 70,392 new foreign-invested firms established during the year. Yet market entry remains highly dependent on regional positioning, investment structure, regulatory understanding and leadership capability. For companies entering China, executive search is
Key Takeaway: China’s market continues to attract new foreign-invested businesses, with 61,207 newly established foreign-invested firms recorded in the first 11 months of 2025. For companies entering or expanding in China, the hiring challenge is not simply accessing a large labour market. It is identifying executives who combine the required
Key Takeaway: Executive search in China is challenging because companies compete for senior talent in a rapidly evolving market where local and multinational employers can offer very different compensation, mobility and career propositions. China’s National Bureau of Statistics shows a particularly wide compensation gap at leadership level, with middle and
Key Takeaway: Executive search in China is challenging because companies compete for senior talent in a rapidly evolving market where local and multinational employers can have different expectations around career security, mobility, compensation and leadership. Effective executive search requires more than identifying technically qualified candidates. It requires understanding China’s talent
Key Takeaway: Most new S&P 500 CEOs are still promoted from within the organisation. In 2020, 77% of new S&P 500 CEOs were internal promotions, with COOs accounting for 38%, division heads 36%, CFOs 9% and leapfrog candidates approximately 5%. However, leapfrog CEOs had the highest share of top-quartile performers