Women appointed as CEOs in 2024 have been more likely to serve on an interim basis than their male counterparts, according to a Nov. 26 report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
This trend marks a shift from 2023, when men and women were named interim CEOs 7% of the time across industries. As of October 2024, 14% of women named CEOs were interim leaders, compared to 11% of male CEOs, according to the report.
"Women continue to face barriers in achieving permanent leadership roles," Senior Vice President Andrew Challenger said in the report. "Organizations need to focus on equitable opportunities for long-term leadership success or risk hits to their employer brand, ability to recruit and retain talent, and ultimately, the bottom line."
In healthcare, interim leaders have increasingly transitioned into permanent roles, according to Adam Burns, interim leadership principal at executive search firm WittKieffer.
Over a 10-year period, interim hospital and health system leaders assumed permanent roles 4% to 5% of the time. That figure has spiked to more than 10% in the past 18 to 24 months, Mr. Burns previously told Becker's.
"It's a really tough environment. When an organization feels like they found a talented leader, they don't hesitate to try to secure them on a permanent basis," Mr. Burns said, citing industrywide financial challenges as a possible driver of this trend. "They're more willing to make an offer to keep them if they've been in the role for a period as an interim and done great work."