Bryan Buck, Managing Partner, ON Partners
Gartner predicts that more than half of CxOs are likely or extremely likely to leave their current roles in the next two years. For executive leaders, boards, and investors, that statistic is not a warning; it is a planning horizon.
Executive Summary
As 2026 kicks off, the pace of C-level movement is accelerating. Executive leaders who still treat leadership hiring as a simple backfill exercise are already behind. In just the past two months, Apple, Chipotle and Airbnb have announced high-profile executive transitions tied to broader strategic shifts. At the same time, ON Partners completed a high-stakes CMO search for NVIDIA, a mandate that reflected how selective and forward-looking executive leadership teams have become. Moves like these point to a broader shift: leadership decisions are no longer about filling roles for where the business is today, but about building capability for what comes next.
Why Are So Many C-Suite Leaders Moving Right Now?
There has been a pronounced wave of C-suite movement across industries, particularly in technology and consumer-facing sectors. In fact, Gartner expects that more than half (56%) of CxOs, defined as C-suite leaders reporting to the CEO (excluding CHROs), are likely or extremely likely to leave their current roles in the next two years.
In just the past several months, Apple recently announced multiple executive transitions, with Airbnb and Chipotle also making changes, signaling that the world’s most iconic companies are navigating real leadership inflection points.
During the same period, ON Partners completed the first-ever Chief Marketing Officer search at NVIDIA, placing Alison Wagonfeld into the role at a moment of deliberate organizational evolution. Speaking at CES, NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang, described the company’s shift toward platform-driven models that integrate intelligence directly into infrastructure – an inflection point that elevated marketing from function to strategic capability.
Taken together, these moves point to a broader pattern. The bar for executive leadership is rising, and so is the urgency to future-proof the org chart. Talent is not disappearing, but the experience required to lead through platform evolution, AI acceleration, and organizational complexity is becoming harder to find. Boards and executive leaders are no longer filling roles for continuity alone; they are building leadership capabilities for what comes next.
What Is Executive Search in 2026 Really About?
Executive search today is less about evaluating resumes and more about answering a harder question: Can this leader help us become the company we need to be next? This pause, especially at a time when AI is disrupting long-standing operating models, is more consequential than it was even a few years ago. The future state of many businesses is still taking shape, which means executive leadership decisions are less about certainty and more about placing informed bets in the right areas.
Across sectors, I see three capabilities that are consistently standing out in executive search today, often carrying more weight than a direct title match:
- Perspective: Executives want leaders who’ve already navigated meaningful inflection points like scaling a business, leading a category shift, or guiding a company through a business model transformation. This isn’t about theoretical experience, but about lived pattern recognition; the kind that only comes from having seen where things break and how to rebuild stronger.
- Adaptability: In an environment defined by acceleration and ambiguity, doing things “the way they’ve always been done” is no longer a strategy, but a liability for both established brands and private equity. What are Boards prioritizing? Executives who can pivot quickly, bring clarity amid change, and recalibrate a plan when the path forward shifts.
- Runway: The next chapter of growth — driven by AI, market expansion, and evolving digital infrastructure — won’t be a short sprint. Organizations need leaders who are not just capable, but energized and committed for the long arc of transformation. Runway matters because transformation isn’t one-and-done; it demands staying power.
These qualities often outweigh a 1:1 candidate fit. The reason executive searches feel more competitive today isn’t because talent has disappeared, but because the bar has moved. The companies that recognize that early are the ones best positioned to lead what’s coming next.
What Are Best Practices for Executive Succession Planning?
The most common mistake when succession planning is waiting too long to start the conversation. Boards should be regularly checking in with their top 5–8 executives not just on performance, but on personal runway and commitment for the future.
Key questions to ask:
- Do you still see yourself here in 3–5 years?
- Are you ready for another transformation that’s likely to be a sprint?
- What’s changed for you personally since your last chapter of leadership?
- What would make you stay or leave?
This isn’t just risk management, but strategic planning that ensures organizations aren’t scrambling when the stakes are highest.
Final Take: The Key Strategies for Effective Executive Search in 2026
Today’s leadership searches aren’t just about replacing what’s been lost, but about preparing for what’s next. As NVIDIA’s recent CMO hire signals, even the most high-profile companies are evolving their C-suite to match new realities. Platforms are shifting. Expectations are rising. And the leadership required to guide that transformation is more specialized (and more scarce) than ever.
Boards aren’t just adding titles. They are deliberately importing new capabilities: vision into unfamiliar markets, operating experience at massive scale, and strategic fluency in an AI-first economy.
If your board isn’t hiring with that lens, you’re already behind.
