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Russell Reynolds Associates: Strategic Hiring
CEO appointments in Asia-Pacific hit five-year high in Q1 2026 with 26 new appointments, 73% increase from 2025. Boards favoring internal succession (73%) but Australia and India showing higher external hiring rates.
Source: HRM Asia
The leadership read
A hiring build-out like this points to deepening consulting executive bench strength over the coming quarters.
“Organisations today need a new breed of CEOs – leaders who can navigate ambiguity with confidence, unlock new growth opportunities, and demonstrate the resilience and clarity needed to lead through ongoing complexity.”
Market context: Backdrop: a 111.1 (Hot) Talent Market Index (up 5.2 on the month) with Oceania activity easing (-5.6pts).
Russell Reynolds Associates: 1 signal in the last 90 days — in line with the Consulting median of 1 across 45 tracked companies; 0.1% of MitchelLake's Oceania signal flow.
MitchelLake in this thematic
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