CEO turnover up in July — and not just in retail

The month of July saw a big turnover at the top.



The number of chief executive officers who announced their departures continued to rise last month, with 102 CEOs leaving their posts in July, according to a report by global outplacement consultancy and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. This is a 7.3% increase compared to June’s exits, and a 10.9% increase over the 92 CEOs who left their posts in July of last year. (The Challenger reports are pulled from press releases and announcements of both public and private companies in the United States.)



But while July boasted a noticeable increase in exits, the total number of chief executives who have left their posts so far in 2017 is just 669, which is 6.6% fewer than the 716 CEOs who left by the end of July 2016. The trend of fewer CEO exits in 2017 was consistent throughout the majority of industries surveyed. However, retail was among the industries bucking the trend, losing more this year than last.



All told, 19 retail CEOs departed in July. From January through July, a total of 30 retail leaders have departed.



The government/non-profit sector experienced the most turnover in its top posts this year, with 99 CEO changes year to date, 23 of which occurred in July.