ExCo 2030
What will the future Executive Committee look like? How will market
challenges, changing stakeholder expectations, and evolving
business priorities shape these leadership roles.
Takeaways
- 90% of board members expect to introduce new roles to the ExCo in the next two years
- ESG is seen as the most likely role to be introduced. But does this reflect longer-term, sustainable, thinking?
- Inclusive leadership and agility and adaptability are seen as the most important characteristics for future ExCo hires.
Video
See our survey results
Watch the video to hear what more than 250 board members and CHROs think the future Executive Committee will look like.
An opportunity to think differently
90 per cent of board members interviewed expect to introduce new roles in the next two to five years. But are they the right roles. Do they reflect longer-term thinking and will they drive sustainable change. Which senior roles will emerge, converge or even disperse to make way for the future ready Executive Committee?
Leathwaite recently commissioned a research project, aimed at more than 250 board members and Chief HR Officers. Seeking to understand views and intent around future Executive Committee roles, responsibilities, and characteristics we discovered what appears to be relatively short term thinking.
Some questions we will be posing to our clients and contacts over the coming months include:
- To what extent are the business challenges and opportunities shaping future leadership teams? Are boards making decisions based on workforce, shareholder or stakeholder pressures? This is an interesting dynamic that could change over time – where should investment boards place their bets?
- If the biggest concern across the board is data security – an issue that is not going away – who is leading the charge to address this and are they senior enough to influence enterprise wide decision-making. Do they have a seat at the table? We argue that they should. But if not, why not?
- Most businesses (88%) have held back from making significant changes to the shape of their functional leadership teams in the last few years. But it looks like that’s set to change. Which roles should be converged to make way for elevating or introducing roles that will address the critical business challenges?
- Where does ESG sit? We would argue that ESG should be integrated into the business DNA, every leader’s responsibility. But until that happens, where is the best home for ESG?
- How are organizations enabling and supporting the fully rounded skills and experience a functional leader needs for entrance into the c-suite? Does a new approach need to be considered and how is this addressed in senior succession planning?
Watch this space for our article series exploring the topics above and more.
