CEO Exits Rising Over the Summer

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By Chris Lange Updated Published
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CEO Exits Rising Over the Summer

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In June 2018, 90 CEOs left their jobs, according to the latest report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That’s a year-over-year increase of 9% for the quarter but a decrease of 5% from the same month last year. The quarterly total is 15% lower than the 341 CEOs who left their posts in the first quarter of this year.

So far this year, 631 CEOs have left their posts, up 11% from the 567 who left their posts through the first six months of last year.

In all of 2017, a total of 1,160 CEOs left their jobs, down 7% from the prior year’s total of 1,248. Of the total, 11 were due to allegations of sexual misconduct, up from three in both 2015 and 2016.

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Andrew Challenger, vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, commented:

While companies are dealing with a strong economy and favorable tax breaks, they are also contending with labor shortages, a potential trade war, and uncertainty surrounding legislation, causing boards to rethink leadership.

The Government/Non-Profit sector leads all industries in departures this year with 118, 55% more than the 76 CEOs who left in this sector last year.

Computer companies announced 78 exits so far this year, 90% more than the 41 CEOs who left their posts through June 2017.

Health Care/Products firms have announced 66 CEO exits in 2018, and financial companies reported 59 through the year.

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Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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