CEO tenure in Singapore longer than global average

The global average is 6.8 years.

CEOs in Singapore stayed in their roles for an average of 8.8 years, according to data from the Global CEO Turnover Index by Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA).

This exceeds the global average of 6.8 years.

In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, CEO turnover stood at 7% in the first half of 2025 (H1 2025), with 43 CEOs stepping down. This translates to a 9% drop from the same period last year.

Japan was the biggest contributor, accounting for more than half of the region’s exits with 23 CEO exits.

Elsewhere in the region, turnover remained relatively steady, with rates at 2.4% in Hong Kong, 6% in Australia, and 8% in India.

Most CEO replacements came from within companies. Internal promotions made up 82.5% of new appointments, suggesting that succession plans are well in place in Singapore and the region.

Amongst these appointments, 33 were internal candidates and seven external, with 38 men and two women assuming CEO roles. Notably, 36 were first-time CEOs.

Male CEOs continue to predominate in leadership changes.

Men made up 98% of CEO departures in APAC and continue to dominate new appointments globally, with 104 out of 114 new CEOs being men, including 38 out of 40 in APAC.

Follow the link for more news on

Russell Reynolds Associates

Reaching the people who run Asia's businesses is harder than it used to be.

Inboxes are crowded. Attention is short. The executives you most want to reach — the founders, CFOs, and operators who actually move budgets — are the hardest to find through the usual channels. If you're building a company, a category, or a reputation, you already know this.

We've spent twenty years building the room they read. Singapore Business Review is where senior decision makers in Singapore and across Southeast Asia come for business coverage they can't get elsewhere — in print, online, and in person at the summits and roundtables we host across seven markets.

If you have something these readers should know about — a point of view worth publishing, a product worth their attention, an event worth their time — we'd like to hear what you're trying to do.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia

Top News

Specialty chemicals manufacturing facility on Jurong Island for sale

The fully equipped facility is clean and ready to be recommissioned.

Commercial Property

2 hours ago

September surge masks looming export slowdown to 6% in 2027

Maybank raised its 2026 forecast to 27% from 18% in the same report.Non-oil domestic exports (NODX) growth could slow to 6% in 2027 as supply chain pressures and higher financing costs weigh on shipment momentum, Maybank Research Pte Ltd said.

Economy

6 hours ago

Nearly half of workers report six or more unpaid hours a week, report says