The path to reach the coveted leadership position as CEO of a Fortune 500 company is usually a long one. Unfortunately, statistics show that that far more men land the CEO title than women.
What does it take to become a CEO?
An infographic from CEO.com sheds some light on the paths typically taken to the #1 c-suite office. You can see the full inforgraphic below. Here are some highlights:
- 97% of Fortune 500 CEOs have an undergraduate degree.
- 66% of Fortune 500 CEOs have a graduate degree (39% of them have MBAs and 10% have law degrees).
- Most S&P 500 CEOs came from finance backgrounds (26%).
- Only 38% of S&P 500 CEOs had international experience prior to becoming a CEO.
- 45% of Fortune 500 CEOs served as non-executive directors on public company boards before becoming a CEO.
- The average time it takes for a successful candidate to rise through the ranks to be appointed as CEO is 16 years.
- 77% of S&P 500 CEOs are appointed internally.
- Only 32% of Fortune 500 and 21% of S&P 500 CEOs rose to the top by spending their careers working for a single company.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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