Odgers Berndtson US Tracking Indices

As part of our commitment to ongoing leadership search, development, and growth, we’re introducing two rolling indices that highlight key trends impacting executive search today:

• C-suite turnover
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

These numbers inform and evolve our executive search and consulting strategies, and our research shows these two areas are driving the most change across leadership and their teams.

Our goal is to update both indices every year in Q2 and Q4 to provide data-driven and actionable insights that help clients find great leaders and support their success.

For more information on C-suite turnover and DEI, please read our additional articles:

• Mass Turnover is Your Responsibility, Even During a Pandemic
• Making One-Off Hires Won’t Help You Achieve Diversity

As we look forward to future perspectives, get caught up on the current numbers below.

The Odgers Berndtson Turnover Index

The Odgers Berndtson Turnover Index tracks the rate of turnover among C-suite executives in the US.

Although 2021 brought a wave of C-level resignations, data indicates increased turnover was well underway before the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking at the start dates and tenures of current sitting Fortune 500 C-Suite, executive turnover was just under 10% in 2016 and 2017 but had more than doubled to 20% by 2019.

Based on trends, turnover could continue to proceed at elevated rates and represent a persistent shorter tenure cycle across the board.

For more information, please read our article—4 Strategies for Managing the High C-Suite Volatility Trend.

Core C-suite turnover remained elevated in 2021; 21% of its roles experienced turnover in that year. By the end of 2021, 40% of C-suite executives had started their current roles within the last two years.

The role with the highest rate of turnover was chief human resources officer (CHRO).

Overall female representation in core C-suite roles remained stable at 22%.

However, there were two noteworthy trends:

• 21% of chief financial officers (CFOs) who started within 2021 were female—a higher portion compared to the overall CFO female representation of 15%.
• 61% of chief marketing officers (CMOs) who started within 2021 were female in contrast to an overall proportion of female CMOs at 46%.

These trends potentially indicate a shifting gender balance within CFO and CMO roles while chief executive officer (CEO) roles continue to be male-dominated.

Our continued metric tracking in Q4 will be able to illuminate if the trends persist.

On the related topic of supporting women in the workplace, you can read our article—How to Help Working Mothers Thrive: 5 Action Steps for Employers.

The Odgers Berndtson DEI Index

The Odgers Berndtson DEI Index tracks hiring and retention rates of diverse candidate hires.

Since 2019, we've seen an 8% increase in diverse hires at executive and C-suite levels.

However, although diversity in the C-suite has increased, most organizations are failing to retain diverse leadership.

Many companies seem to be tackling their DEI goals through making one-off diverse hires into their organizations as they exist today. But without holistic and comprehensive diversity strategies, companies won’t necessarily make more progress towards maintaining a diverse organization.

Odgers Berndtson US is committed to building an inclusive culture both within our own firm and with our clients. The following articles provide more insight into how your organization can introduce, build, and strengthen your DEI policies:

• 3 Ways Data Can Increase Your Diversity
• Creating Pathways to Leadership for People of Color 
• 3 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Diverse Candidate

Get In Touch

Our clients appreciate the chance to consult on individual strategies to address leadership search, development, and growth and DEI within their organizations. To discuss your unique challenges, email us at engage@odgersberndtson.com.