The First-Time CEO Accelerator: Bridging the Leadership Gap from CxO to CEO

Appointing a first-time CEO is one of the board’s highest-stakes decisions. We explore why success in the C-suite doesn’t automatically translate to CEO readiness, and the steps boards and CHROs can take to ensure success.

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88%

of CEO appointments across the world’s largest indices in Q3 2025 YTD were first-time CEOs—up from 85% in the same period in 2024.

_{Source: CEO Turnover Index, Russell Reynolds Associates}

For boards and CHROs, few decisions carry as much weight as appointing a first-time CEO. On paper, many CxOs appear ready—strong track records, proven enterprise contributions, credibility with investors, and trust from the board. Yet the CEO role demands more than sustained high performance. It requires a new kind of readiness—one that cannot be measured by past results alone.

The stakes are high to make sure you are adequately preparing CxOs for the reality of the CEO role. CEO transitions don't just fail quietly—they fail expensively. The costs of a failed transition—strategic drift, cultural disruption, investor skepticism—are too great to ignore.

The challenge is not simply identifying who has earned the opportunity, but who is truly ready to lead at the enterprise level. That means spotting early signals of readiness and leadership potential—and intervening before the appointment is made.

With foresight, boards and CHROs can design targeted interventions that accelerate CEO readiness well before day one—giving new leaders the confidence, capability, and clarity to lead effectively from the start.

Here, we explore the core shifts CxOs need to make before stepping into the CEO role, the three pillars of CEO development work, and top lessons for success.

Why the CEO role is different: The shifts CxOs need to make

The CEO role represents a complete redefinition of leadership. When assessing readiness, it’s important to recognize that even the most capable CxOs face an entirely new environment when they take on the CEO role—one defined by exposure, velocity, and ultimate accountability.

Many first-time CEOs describe the transition not as a step up, but as stepping into a different world altogether.

01. Functional accountability → enterprise exposure

While C-suite executives answer for performance within their own domains, CEOs are accountable for the entire system.

The CEO’s “boss” is no longer a single superior—it is a web of stakeholders: the board, shareholders, investors, regulators, employees, and society at large. Success depends less on control and more on influence. The CEO must navigate competing agendas and build alignment across groups that value different outcomes.

02. Shared authority → ultimate responsibility

Where CxOs make critical decisions in collective forums, CEOs stand alone in the final call. Every decision stops at the CEO’s desk. Judgment calls are complex, consequences far-reaching, and answers rarely clear-cut. The role demands constant trade-offs—balancing short-term results against long-term resilience, shareholder demands against public expectation. Every action, hesitation, and tone carries weight.

03. Mastery → continuous adaptation

CxOs rise through mastery of a discipline; CEOs survive through adaptability across all of them. Even seasoned executives find the early months disorienting. Familiar systems of support shift, decision cycles accelerate, and well-honed skills can feel blunted. It is a bit like driving a new car in a new country—yes, the fundamentals of leadership remain, but everything feels different. Meanwhile, scrutiny is immediate and unrelenting. Every action is observed, interpreted, and amplified.

04. Peer network → isolation

In the C-suite, peers provide natural sounding boards. In the CEO role, that network disappears. Despite constant company, CEOs often experience deep professional isolation. The confidentiality of certain decisions means there are few true peers. It is a paradox: a role filled with interaction yet marked by solitude. Without deliberate reflection or trusted counsel, that isolation can quietly erode judgment and confidence.

05. Operating intensity → decision velocity

While CxOs thrive by managing execution, CEOs must govern the pace and focus of an entire enterprise. The pace and scope of decision-making are unlike any prior role. Each day brings choices that span strategy, risk, people, and reputation—often with limited information and high visibility. The challenge is not volume, but discernment. Sustainable effectiveness depends on pacing energy and focusing attention where it creates disproportionate impact.

Three pillars of CEO development

Becoming CEO is not a promotion—it’s a transformation. The goal of preparation is to arrive ready to lead, not to start learning on day one. When readiness work begins early, new CEOs deliver impact immediately rather than spending their first year regaining balance.

Lessons for boards and CHROs

Appointing a CEO is one of the board’s most consequential responsibilities—and one of the easiest to misjudge. Even outstanding executives can struggle without intentional preparation and ongoing support.

For boards and CHROs, the imperative is clear: start early, think broadly, and treat readiness as strategy. The return is measurable—in velocity, resilience, and impact from day one.

Authors

Marie-Osmonde Le Roy de Lanauze-Molines is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Development Practice. She is based in Dubai.
Shannon Knott is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Leadership Consulting Practice. She is based in Durham, NC.
Ty Wiggins is the global leader of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Executive Transitions Practice. He is based in Sydney.