Fewer women are being appointed to CEO roles in 2025, and more are being replaced by men, according to a July 9 report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Here are four things to know:
1. Women accounted for 25% of CEO appointments in the first quarter of 2025, down from 29% during the same period in 2024.
2. Of all CEOs who exited their roles through the first quarter of 2025, 23% were women — a slight increase from 20% the previous year.
3. Among the women who left CEO roles, 56% were succeeded by men, up from 41% in 2024.
4. Seventeen percent of the 497 men who exited the CEO role in 2025 were succeeded by women, a decrease from 22% in 2024.
