The revolving door to the nation’s chief executive suites picked up speed in the first quarter from a year earlier, outplacement consultant Challenger, Gray & Christmas reports.
Announced CEO departures reached 340 through March 30, up from 309 in the first three months of 2009, Challenger Gray said. Resignations accounted for a third of CEO exits last month, followed by retirements.
In March, CEO turnover fell to 119 after reaching a 17-month high of 132 in February, the survey said.
March turnover was still 4.3 percent more than the 114 who left their posts in March 2009, the firm said.
The government/nonprofit sector saw the highest turnover among all industries in March, with 22 CEO changes. The sector’s first-quarter total rose to 45 departures, up from 38 a year ago.
For the year, the health care sector leads all industries in chief executive turnover with 56 departures — 21 of them in March. Â
