A storm has been brewing over the realm of employment in 2025, but it is the CHROs at the helm who are often tasked with maintaining stability. While the number of CHRO appointments in 2025 has been comforting, it is also important to understand how the role has evolved. CEOs are traditionally the forces we look to in order to understand the trajectory of a business and the decisions that reshape the organization, but the role is performed with the assistance of a suite of executives.
Among them, Chief Human Resource Officers oversee the labor force in particular, guiding business decisions, keeping the workers in mind. Unsurprisingly, when CEOs are replaced, there is often a parallel shift among the rest of the executive workforce, of which CHRO appointments in 2025 have been of particular note.
The high number of CHRO appointments in 2025 is a good sign, but the role remains a volatile one, vulnerable to fluctuations in business operations. (Image: Pexels)
As CHRO Appointments Impress in 2025, It Is Important to Understand the Full Picture
CHRO turnover refers to the rate at which officers holding this position vacate their position and are replaced within the organization. To understand how the CHRO role has evolved this year, we look to the Russell Reynolds Associates’ Q3 2025 CHRO Turnover Index to get a sense of the full picture. According to the report, 127 CHROs were appointed globally between Q1 to Q3 in 2025, of which 59 appointments were made by the S&P 500. The global CHRO turnover index nearly matches the seven-year average of 131, and stands higher than the 94 appointments that were made in 2024.
The increase in the number of CHRO appointments mimics the rise in CEO transitions this year, with the data showing that around 10% of S&P companies crowned a new CEO during the same period. The rate of CHRO appointments in 2025 was the highest within the tech industry, a segment that has stood at the center of workforce-related changes this year.
Average CHRO Tenures Go Up, But the Data Is Complicated
The detailed report also took a look at the average tenure of a CHRO, and found that it went up to 5.1 years in 2025, a small but significant rise from the 4.9-year average last year. While this is a good sign for the longevity of the CHRO position, it is also important to understand that the numbers are a result of the longer tenures that S&P 500 CHROs enjoy, averaging out at 6.1 years.
The data suggested that the average tenure of departing CHROs may have actually fallen in Q1–Q3 2025. There continues to be lower stability in the role, with the CHRO position at non-S&P 500 organizations more exposed to the changes in business. Volatility in other aspects of the business transformation continues to affect tenure.
First-Time CHROs Take The Lead
The number of CHRO appointments in 2025 is a good sign for businesses that truly want to understand their workforce, however, other changing aspects of their position can occasionally merit a raised eyebrow. The Russell Reynolds report also found that many of the CHROs who have taken on the role this year have also been first-timers in the role. To be precise, 61% of these CHRO appointments in 2025 were first-timers, up from 53% last year. Of them, 77% were internal successors to the position.
This indicates that non-traditional, non-HR pathways can now lead up to the title more easily, allowing candidates with diverse backgrounds to step up with their expertise and familiarity with other areas of the business. This is a win for workers who hope to earn their way through to the top, but it also throws some doubt over whether newer CHROs possess the precise expertise needed to manage the role.
Despite the CHRO Hiring Surge in 2025, the Risks of Turnover Also Remain High
The global CHRO turnover index gives us a considerable amount of data to ponder over. CHROs remain central to the workplace, with their presence allowing businesses to manage their resources better. It is also evident that the rise of CHRO appointments has been accompanied by a rise in internal hires ascending to the role, taking their familiarity with other aspects of the business with them. The manner of succession planning does help build a stronger business, allowing for existing talent to grow with the organization.
Still, the higher rate of CHRO turnover in 2025 does give us pause. The position remains one that is susceptible to the changes in leadership, with the CEO having an important role to play in determining who takes the lead. Selecting the right candidate for the role of an HR leader is important, but it is also crucial to ensure that they are familiar with their responsibilities, enough so that they can introduce stability into the workplace.
High CHRO turnover rates can be just as disruptive to the business as frequently changing CEOs, disrupting the workforce, and creating chaos instead of change. While each aspect of the business’ operations and planned and considered, the management of workers is a critical consideration where the bigger details often leave the smaller ones ignored. From pay transparency to employee engagement, many aspects of management get lost in the mix with frequent change, which businesses may need to take a closer look at in 2026.
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