Cowen Partners Research Anchors New York Post Story on the Coming Succession Crisis
The New York Post built its latest look at corporate America’s leadership pipeline on research from Cowen Partners Executive Search, with President and Co-Founder Shawn Cole supplying both the data and memorable framing.
In the article by reporter Taylor Herzlich, the through-line is a paradox: from Boeing to Verizon to Cracker Barrel, boards keep handing top jobs to older and even previously retired executives, and the boomer generation isn’t stepping aside on the timeline everyone assumed.
Cowen Partners’ analysis of S&P 500 proxy filings found that 42% of sitting CEOs are 60 or older, an elevated level against historical norms, and at more than a third of the companies sampled, the CEO and CFO were sitting in the retirement window at the same time.
Cole likens the situation to a death with no will, where no one knows where anything is and everyone is left to pick up the pieces, which he says is exactly what’s happening across corporate America right now.
He also names the deferred cost: when boomers finally do leave, companies may hand the keys to a generation that was never allowed in the room, triggering rapid, high-risk successions. As he puts it, that’s a lot of people getting the keys after being kept out for years, and it’s fair to ask who thinks that’s a good idea.
The article traces the roots to the Great Recession, when boards kept proven boomers in place instead of promoting Gen X, throwing off a succession timeline that takes 15 to 20 years to rebuild. It’s the exact gap Cowen Partners’ Leadership Inflection Point research was built to surface.
Read Taylor Herzlich’s full article in the New York Post.
About the New York Post
The New York Post is one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the United States, founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton. Headquartered in New York City and owned by News Corp, the Post reaches a national audience through its print edition and nypost.com, one of the most-visited news sites in the country.
Known for its distinctive voice and wide-ranging coverage, the Post reports on business, national and local news, politics, media, real estate, entertainment, and sports, and remains a prominent fixture in American journalism.
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About Cowen Partners Executive Search
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