Nearly 70% of CHROs are replaced after a CEO change: Study
Leadership transitions at the very top of an organisation can bring about sweeping changes—none more so than in the human resources function. According to Rosanna Trasatti, leadership expert and CEO of Eleva Executive Leadership Advisory, nearly seven in ten Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) are eventually replaced following a CEO transition. Trasatti shared these insights during her address at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit in California on Monday.
While it may not be surprising that new CEOs wish to shape their own senior teams, the extent of CHRO vulnerability was described by Trasatti as “sobering.” Drawing on more than a decade of research into CHRO performance, she revealed that the perceived success of a CHRO is more tightly bound to the CEO relationship than any other C-suite leader.
“No other C-suite leader’s perceived performance had anywhere near the same level of dependency on the CEO,” she emphasised.
Trasatti’s findings place the spotlight squarely on the relationship between the CEO and the CHRO, identifying it as the single most important predictor of a CHRO’s effectiveness and longevity in the role. In an environment where leadership accountability is increasingly prioritised, CHROs face a unique challenge: aligning closely with a changing CEO vision while proving their worth as strategic partners.
The impact of this dependency can be seen when new CEOs, driven by strategic shifts or cultural realignment, choose to replace key players. In this dynamic, the CHRO often becomes one of the first roles scrutinised.
But personal rapport isn’t the only metric. The efficiency of HR operations also plays a critical role in how a CHRO’s performance is judged.
According to Trasatti, CHROs who run overly bureaucratic HR systems, weighed down by administrative inefficiencies and bottlenecks, are far more likely to be rated as ineffective and ultimately exited from the organisation.
“Noise and inefficiency are the death knell for HR leadership,” she remarked.
Modern organisations demand agility, transparency, and metrics-driven HR functions. Those CHROs unable to demonstrate this—regardless of their strategic vision—are more likely to be viewed as liabilities.
The role of gender also introduces a sharp contrast in executive leadership. While women hold only 11.8% of all C-suite positions in S&P 100 companies, a striking 72% of CHRO roles are held by women. This imbalance highlights the paradox many women leaders face—dominant in HR leadership yet still navigating the broader gender gaps in senior management.
Trasatti noted that this overrepresentation of women in CHRO roles comes with specific pressures. Women CHROs are often held to higher administrative standards and may be expected to manage internal harmony—“ensuring the house is in order and everyone has been fed”—before they’re even considered effective.
This double burden can lead to burnout, misperceptions of inefficiency, and eventually, replacement.
Despite the risks, Trasatti’s research also points to a path forward. CHROs who proactively develop financial acumen and tie HR metrics directly to business outcomes are more likely to be perceived as strategic contributors and retain their positions through CEO transitions.
In short, those who demonstrate a deep understanding of the business, not just the people within it, build lasting value in the eyes of CEOs and boards alike.
“Success lies in translating people strategy into bottom-line results,” said Trasatti.