Trend book

Different times, different customs, different leaders: a new profile for CAC 40 bosses

The CAC 40’s first lucky strike in this context of repeated crises (economic, geopolitical, energy and logistics) is the unprecedented renewal of its leaders.

The explosive, planet-wide situation has coincided with a managerial tidy up: since spring 2019, 47.5% of CAC 40 companies have changed bosses.

The CAC 40’s second lucky strike is that this managerial overhaul has been achieved using almost only in-house resources.

Almost 71% of new managers were sourced internally and trained by internal resources: ANDRIÈS (SAFRAN), HIERONIMUS (L’ORÉAL), JACKOW (AIR LIQUIDE), ROUSSAT (BOUYGUES), etc.; the rest is over to field specialists: HUDSON (SANOFI), MACGREGOR (ENGIE), de MEO (RENAULT), or de SAINT-AFFRIQUE (DANONE).

The CAC 40’s third lucky strike is that a profile change occurred at the same time as the renewal.

Engineers have triumphed over more general profiles:

• Domination of Polytechnic graduates (30% of the CAC 40)
• Emergence of Centrale graduates (10%)
• ENA alumni phasing out: 2/40, which is four times less than 10 years ago

And one major satisfaction: the arrival of women engineers who have managed to rise to the top: BRACHLIANOFF, X-Ponts graduate – VEOLIA, HEYDEMANN, X-Ponts graduate – ORANGE and MACGREGOR, Centrale graduate – ENGIE.