Complete the Form Below to Download:
*Please keep your browser open. Your download will be available on the confirmation page following submission of the form.
Who is getting placed into an association CEO position? CEO Update’s second annual report on association CEO recruitment trends reveals more about the professional backgrounds, areas of work and job titles that help executives move from CEO candidate to CEO. This year we continued to examine whether C-suite positions in advocacy or government relations were more attractive to boards looking to hire a new chief executive, as well as how inclined they were to select an internal staff member or first-time CEO to lead the association.
We tracked and analyzed 115 CEO placements published in CEO Update between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025, to identify trends.
This report captures only CEO placements at nonprofit organizations (primarily trade associations, standard-setting bodies, professional societies and public interest groups) published by CEO Update during the review period. For each placement, we documented the executive’s departing organization, job title and area of work; their arrival organization, and retirement, if applicable. For the demographic information (age, race/ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation), we asked each executive to self-identify via a survey emailed in November 2025. A special thank you to research report supporters, Korn Ferry & Sterling Martin.
