Global COO appointments hit a seven-year high—as more firms add COO role
COO turnover reached a new record in 2025, with 146 COO appointments, up 12% year-over-year, and the highest level we’ve seen since we began tracking the data in 2019.
The S&P 500 was the primary driver of this increase, with 60 incoming COOs in 2025, up from 39 in 2024. Appointments were also elevated across the FTSE 100, where 13 COOs were appointed—nearly double the prior year and the highest level in seven years.
At the same time, COO exits fell to just 65—down materially from 134 in 2024, and well below the seven-year average of 103. The result was a pronounced net expansion of 81 COO roles globally in 2025.
Companies increasingly recognize the value of adding or formalizing the COO role within the C-suite. What was once considered an optional position is now becoming a structural response to meeting the scale and complexity of transformation pressures.
COOs are emerging as the de facto leaders of the transformation agenda. While early digital and AI initiatives often sat within technology functions, CEOs increasingly recognize that durable transformation requires end-to-end operational leadership.
As pressures for transformation rise, the COO’s mandate is becoming more strategic, more visible, and more central to performance.
Share of first-time COOs continues to rise, as firms look internally for step-ups
Companies overwhelmingly turned to their own leadership pipelines to fill COO roles in 2025, with internal appointments accounting for 82% of hires, up from 69% in 2024 and above the seven-year average of 74%.
As a result, first-time COOs now represent 88% of appointments globally, up from 74% in 2024 and above the seven-year average of 80%.
This pattern reflects a deliberate preference for leaders with deep institutional knowledge and established credibility inside the organization. As the COO role becomes more closely tied to enterprise transformation—particularly AI-enabled and operational change—companies are prioritizing executives who understand the business end-to-end and can quickly mobilize cross-functional teams.
Transformation at scale requires operational fluency, context, and trusted relationships—capabilities that leaders stepping up internally can bring from day one. At a time when CEOs are under pressure to deliver measurable results, internal hires can both reduce integration risk and shorten the runway for impact.
That said, external hires remain important in specific contexts—particularly where companies lack the transformation capability internally or require deep industry expertise to deliver change at pace. In those situations, CEOs typically seek proven operators with sector-specific experience and a track record of leading comparable transformations, rather than generalist executives from outside the industry.
COO tenures extend as companies prioritize continuity amid external uncertainty
Outgoing COO tenure rose to 4.1 years in 2025, the highest level since we began tracking in 2019. Tenure in the second half of the year was even higher at 4.7 years, compared with 3.5 years in the second half of 2024.
Several factors likely contributed to this increase. Over the past year, companies have navigated sustained geopolitical volatility, supply chain complexity, and significant investment in AI and enterprise transformation.
In that environment, CEOs have shown greater reluctance to disrupt operating leadership unless performance issues were clear. Where the mandate was working, many chose continuity over change, with stability in the operating seat viewed as an advantage.
It remains to be seen whether tenure will remain elevated through 2026 as the transformation agenda continues to evolve and gather pace. Some companies may maintain continuity in the operating seat to see complex, multi-year transformations through. Others may recalibrate their COO leadership where the scope of the role materially expands and new capabilities are required.
What is clear is that longer tenure does not mean lower expectations. In the year ahead, COOs will be assessed on how effectively they manage continued volatility and complexity—and on how well they can translate transformation ambition into measurable results.
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