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The Succession Challenge Nobody Is Talking About

By Mary Lee Sharp and Adriane McFetridge

06/24/2026

Artificial Intelligence CEO Succession Member-Only
Key Points
  • Boards should update CEO succession frameworks to prioritize artificial intelligence fluency alongside traditional financial and operational metrics.
  • Effective AI leadership is measured by a candidate’s capacity to ask the right business questions, hold teams accountable for outcomes, and navigate the workforce and governance implications of automation.
  • Nominating and governance committees should increase the frequency of succession reviews and provide high-potential internal candidates with accountable, end-to-end ownership of AI initiatives to build a future-ready leadership pipeline.

This AI-generated summary, based on content on this page, was reviewed by NACD editors for accuracy.

Boards that proactively update CEO succession frameworks to reflect the AI era will position their companies to lead through what comes next.

CEO succession has rarely been more central to boardroom discussion. According to the 2025 US Spencer Stuart Board Index, S&P 500 companies saw 61 new CEO appointments in 2025, up from 47 the year before. Research from Korn Ferry notes that CEO tenures are shortening and that fewer senior leaders are pursuing the role. Additionally, the Russell Reynolds Global CEO Turnover Index puts average CEO tenure at 7.1 years in 2025, down from 8.3 years in 2021.

With succession already a standing priority, boards are well-positioned to ask ...

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Mary Lee Sharp

 

Mary Lee Sharp, NACD.DC®, is a human capital strategist, global chief human resources officer, and board advisor with deep experience at the intersection of law, governance, and people strategy. She is the founder of People First Advisors, a board member of Public Glass, and a board advisor of LunaGen.

Adriane McFetridge

 

Adriane McFetridge, NACD.DC, is an engineer, operator, and technology board member with expertise in AI infrastructure, payments, and platform engineering. She is an advisory council member of the UT Austin Computer Science department, cofounder of CicakTech, former director of engineering at Netflix, and a former director of Western Alliance Bancorp.

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