Russell Reynolds: CHRO Hiring is Becoming More 'Deliberate'

Are businesses placing more value on their CHRO hires? 

According to Russell Reynolds’ quarterly CHRO Turnover Index, companies are being more “selective” about when hiring for the CHRO role.

Businesses showed increases in experienced hires and external appointments, while overall turnover decreased as companies seek "continuity" on their people agendas amid an operating environment centred on transformation. 

This, says Anna Penfold, Consultant at Russell Reynolds, “points to a market that is being more deliberate”. 

She continues: “First-time CHROs remain the majority of global appointments, yet in markets such as the FTSE 100 and S&P 500, boards appear to be placing greater weight on prior public company CHRO experience.

“External hiring has also accelerated ahead of internal appointments, suggesting organisations are widening the aperture when the mandate calls for transformation, fresh perspective or a proven playbook.”

Hiring for expertise

The number of newly appointed CHROs with prior experience has increased significantly in the S&P 500. In Q1 of 2026, 60% of incoming CHROs had already held a CHRO role at a public company, while in Q1 2025, just 39% of hires had prior experience – making Q1 of 2026 the second time experienced hires were more prominent in the S&P 500 since Russel Reynolds began its CHRO turnover index. 

The FTSE 500 saw a similar trend, with 75% of incoming CHROs having prior experience, up from 50% a year earlier.

According to Russell Reynolds, this shift comes as the CHRO role becomes more commercially connected, with businesses placing greater importance on leaders who have already operated at the C-suite level. 

Other research has found that the CHRO can play a crucial role in wider business success, with a study from the Stanford Graduate School of business finding that workplaces where the CHRO is higher paid tend to be more productive and have happier employees on average. 

Choosing between CHRO profiles

Businesses are also increasingly favouring external hires for the CHRO role. 

In Q1 2026, 56% of incoming CHROs were external hires, up 10% from Q1 2025. This was even more prominent in leading organisations, with 67% of CHRO hires in the S&P 500 being external – up from just 30% in Q1 2025. 

Russell Reynolds says that this data shows that organisations are choosing between “two valid CHRO profiles” – internal leaders, who know the business and culture well, and external leaders who can bring a fresher perspective, and may have a track record for leading change within an organisation which can help support broader transformation strategies. 

Tenure increases as responsibilities grow 

As the CHRO role grows, so does its average tenure. 

Russell Reynolds finds that the average outgoing tenure for a CHRO rose to 5.2 years globally in Q1 of 2026 – above the seven year average of 4.7 years and continuing the gradual upward momentum the Index has seen. 

According to the research, companies are holding CHROs in roles for longer, which may reflect the growing number of responsibilities held by those in the role.

CHROs are now taking on new responsibilities that span leadership, culture, transformation, succession planning and workforce strategy, with many CEOs and boards looking to maintain continuity in the role to protect their people strategies.