Speaking of C-Suite turnover, a recent Weil memo addressing key corporate governance, engagement, disclosure and annual meeting topics highlights the importance of the board’s role in CEO succession planning:

With CEO turnover reaching record levels, boards face heightened pressure to reinforce succession planning processes and build deeper leadership pipelines. A November 2025 report by The Conference Board, Egon Zehnder, ESGAUGE and Semler Brossy notes that CEO succession announcements by S&P 500 companies over the last year increased to 13% as of October 2025 (up from 10% in 2024). This trend reflects broader market volatility, activist pressure, and shifting investor expectations around leadership stability.

In this environment, effective succession planning requires boards to evaluate a wider slate of candidates, prepare for both long-term and emergency transitions, and identify the mix of skills and strategic priorities that will reassure investors that strong leadership is both in place and actively being developed. Robust planning not only supports continuity but also mitigates the risk of disruption to strategy, operations, and overall performance.

Other areas addressed in the memo include risk oversight, board composition, human capital and executive and board compensation, and the shifting shareholder engagement landscape.

– John Jenkins