Russian companies are changing the strategy for hiring managers

Companies are increasingly introducing long-term motivation programs to hold the CHIEF Executive Officer-general or executive director, head of the company) for a position for three to five years. At the same time, now enterprises are preferred to candidates with the experience of general management and are ready to hire them in the foreign market, and not to look among domestic candidates.

Despite the increase in the number of long -term motivation programs, Russian leaders of companies are increasingly changing their jobs, it states a Regroup review – they analyzed the dynamics of the SEO 100 of the largest companies in net profit (according to the Forbes 2024 rating). This year’s data show that now it is becoming increasingly popular to the position of the CEO of people with experience in general management, such as the leadership of a business unit or the performance of the functions of the executive director. Over the year since the last study, the share of such appointments increased by 10 percentage points (p.), To 51%. In second place is the public service (10%), in third – commerce and production (7%each).

Moreover, the CEO is increasingly hired in the foreign market – the share of “internal” candidates for a year decreased by 10 p., To 55%.

There were no noticeable changes in the duration of the CEO in the role of CEO: slightly (from 25% in 2024 to 22% in 2025), the share of “recruits” was reduced, which occupy no more than a year, which compensated for the percentage of those who have been in their role for two or three years (21% in 2024 against 18% in 2025), 11% still take their position for four to five years. The most noticeable growth occurred in two cohors: from 14% to 18% increased the number of occupying positions in the role of CEO 5-10 years, from 14% to 19% – 10–20 years, and the number of “long -livers” – more than 20 years – decreased slightly (from 13% to 11%). The market remains enough “young” – 40% CEO occupy their position for less than three years.

As for the demographic portrait of the CEO, the last year the tenants preferred more age -related candidates. So, the share of CEO aged 51–60 years increased from 25% to 30%, in the age of older than 60 years – from 22% to 27%. The most massive age group – 41–50 years – due to this decreased from 38% to 31%. At the same time, companies show more interest in hiring women – their share in leading positions for the year increased from 5% to 7%. In 2025, an increase in the CEO share with technical (from 23% to 32%) and economic (from 21% to 29%) education was observed. This is noted by the authors of the report, « reflects the adaptation of the Russian corporate sector to new economic realities and the search for more stable management models. »

Commenting on the earnings of the CEO, the managing partner of REGROUP Oksana Morsina notes that the presence of a long -term motivation system for the annual bonus has recently become a market standard for SEO position.

“The average term of such programs is three years, a number of companies began to introduce a profit-sharing, when the annual bonus is tied not just to profit, but to profit in excess of the level determined by the shareholder. This implies that most of the sample has been working in this role for a long time – more than five years. This combines the interests and forces of business shareholders to realize the long -term goals of the company, ”she says.

Despite a certain skepticism regarding long -term motivation, analysts again record the trend on the growth of the share of a variable and delayed reward, the partner of the consulting company Ward Howell Sofya Chukavina agrees. “Hybrid models are distributed – participation in profits, entrepreneurial schemes, custom programs LTI. The combined level of CEO compensation over the past year has grown moderately – about 35% of the median, ”she says. At the same time, she notes that along with the growth of proposals for long -term motivation, the number of CEO transitions between the companies is growing – and each such transition « becomes a point of pressure on the market, raising the level of remuneration. »

Anastasia Manuilova