A new survey has shown that the chief executives of the largest companies in the UK tend to be younger and with a stronger financial background than in other countries.
Research from specialist recruiter Robert Half says that 39 per cent of FTSE 100 chief executives have a
financial background, compared to just 26 per cent of people in equivalent positions in S&P Global 100 companies, reports Accountancy magazine.
Phil Sheridan, managing director of Robert Half, told the magazine that "one of the most important competencies "of a chief executive is "understanding the financial aspects" of the company.
"Our analysis shows the world's leading companies continue to put a high significance on financial skills when choosing their boardroom leaders," added Mr Sheridan.
Some of the UK's most senior executives with a financial background include Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways and previously a finance director and BP's Tony Hayward, formerly a group treasurer.
In a hope to find the next generation of chief executives, PricewaterhouseCoopers has just announced it has welcomed 125 graduates to its offices across the UK in the first of two graduate intakes in 2008.
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