Thinking about CHRO succession? Expect to appoint a first-timer

Change is in the air, causing 50 mph winds and knocking CHROs out of their seats.

CEO turnover is on the rise: In 2025, 12.5% of CEOs departed S&P 500 companies, up from a low of 9.8% in 2024. And, when a new CEO steps in, it’s likely that new C-suite leadership will follow. That includes the CHRO: 84 new CHROs were appointed to S&P 500 companies between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025, accounting for 18% of all companies in the stock market index, an analysis from Spencer Stuart found.

Companies have been through a lot in recent years—the Covid-19 pandemic, the Great Resignation, and AI, just to name a few—and chief executives might, understandably, want a seasoned HR executive to help lead their company through never-ending challenges. Unfortunately, given the recent exodus of experienced HR leaders, that may be unlikely: Two-thirds of CHROs appointed during this period were first-timers, according to Steve Patscot, who leads Spencer Stuart’s North American HR practice.

“While the CEO may say, I want somebody who’s been there done that, the reality of it is, they’re probably going to get someone who hasn’t been there and hasn’t done that,” Patscot told HR Brew.

Tough job. The CHRO’s role is getting tougher. New leaders must be prepared to tackle all of the challenges of the job and support the business through a myriad of headwinds. But they likely have less time to make a big splash: The average tenure for HR chiefs is 4.6 years, more than half a year shorter than the overall average C-suite tenure of 5.2 years.

“You don’t have a lot of time in these jobs to make a big impact, and the bigger the job, the harder it is to get momentum,” Patscot said.

Luckily, though, CHROs and CEOs planning can look to their own workforce for HR leadership succession planning. Internal appointments have been big for C-suite leaders this year, including the CHRO. Some 57% of HR chiefs were internal hires, according to Spencer Stuart’s analysis.

Current CHROs are looking internally because they want someone who is already familiar with the company and its key people, and can quickly hit the ground running, Patscot said. Overall, though, he noted that the vast majority of CHROs appointed had prior HR experience, signaling that even the newcomers are being primed by the seasoned leaders currently in charge.

“I think the great new generation of talent has the ability to stay focused on the fundamentals because they were brought up by this previous generation, while layering on new technology, new approaches, and recognizing that change is the new normal,” Patscot said.