– Eric Auchard is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own –
The revolving doors are spinning ever faster in the executive suites of corporations.
CEO turnover has reached an all-time high, according to figures kept by recruiting firm Challenger & Gray. Last year, 1,484 U.S. CEOs resigned, stepped down or were fired — six casualties every business day.
Resignation has outpaced retirement as the leading reason for departure, as the credit crunch has dealt a savage blow to prospects for growth and investors grow restive over share dilution, dividend cuts and shrinking outlooks.
High profile departures stretch from the bosses of the global retailer, Carrefour, to computer maker Lenovo to a succession of financial leaders including those at AIG, Merrill and UBS.
