Hitting Your 50s—But Not As a CEO

Gen Xers have had plenty of labels applied to them. Slacker. Skeptical. Independent. Underestimated. But one label isn’t sticking for the generation born between 1965 and 1980: CEO.

The Conference Board and data-analytics firm ESGAUGE looked at CEO ages at 3,000 mid- and large-sized US companies back in 2017, when the oldest GenXers hadn’t yet turned 50. At the time, 51% of CEOs were between the ages of 50 and 59, 35% were at least 60, and 15% were younger than 50. But in 2025, with many Gen Xers solidly in their fifties, the distribution of CEO ages looks different. Only 43% of top bosses are in their fifties, while 42% are at least 60 and 15% are younger than 50. For a variety of circumstances, it appears that Gen Xers aren’t making it to the top rung of the corporate ladder, at least in the US. “It definitely resonates,” says Maria Amato, a Korn Ferry senior client partner and leader of the firm’s Employer Value Proposition solution area.

Experts say that Gen X-age leaders, as a collective, could be victims of bad timing. During the pandemic, many organizations retained their top leaders—mostly baby boomers—valuing their experience and steady hand during difficult times. If those executives have stuck around afterward, it’s because they’ve continued to be successful and haven’t been pushed to retire by their boards. “The reason boomers may be staying in their roles longer has mostly to do with the desire for continuing job stability,” says Joe Griesedieck, Korn Ferry vice chairman and managing director of the firm’s Board and CEO Services practice, who is not surprised about the Gen-X CEO vacuum.

On the flip side, when older executives do retire—or the current CEO isn’t working out—many boards are now more open to hiring younger leaders, believing they might better be able to navigate today’s business challenges, such as AI, digital marketing, and changing customer demographics. “For a time, Gen X was too young. Now some boards feel the other way about them, wanting fresh ideas from younger executives,” Amato says.

The squeeze could be particularly challenging for Gen-X women professionals. Historically, it has taken women longer, on average, to prove to organizations that they are successful leadership candidates. Indeed, when Korn Ferry studied the topic in 2017, it found that women CEOs were an average of four years older than their male counterparts when they got the top job, and had worked in a slightly greater number of roles, functions, companies, and industries. Now, at an age when many Gen-X women are nearing the upper echelons of their firms, they could be facing another hurdle to further advancement.

To be sure, not every organization is avoiding the current crop of fiftysomethings. The average age for CEOs at large US companies is 57, which suggests there are plenty of opportunities for fiftysomethings who might aspire to top jobs. Tierney Remick, Korn Ferry vice chairman and co-leader of the firm’s Board and CEO Services practice, says there are plenty of Gen Xers being appointed. “I think boards are very excited about really true enterprise leaders between 50 and 60 years old,” she says.

But progressing well in their careers might not be enough to make Gen Xers into prime CEO candidates. If they want the top job, experts say, they’re going to have to prove to boards that they are willing to put in more effort. That could mean taking on a stretch assignment or embracing AI skills. “You have to hustle and learn, take responsibility for your own development,” says Kate Shattuck, a Korn Ferry managing partner. A Gen Xer herself, Shattuck is taking a class on AI and recently tried her hand at creating videos.

Some experts say the idea that Gen Xers need to take care of themselves hearkens back to their experiences as tweens and teenagers. After all, many were the original “latchkey kids” who came home to empty houses while their baby-boomer parents were at work. Learning digital skills or taking on challenging assignments is, in a way, the equivalent of learning how to microwave pizza for an after-school snack.

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