Mar 24, 2026 · 21 min · 8 segments
In this episode of Be It Resolved, Rahul Bhardwaj, President and CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors, sits down with Jeff Hauswirth, a Board Advisor and seasoned executive search leader with…
Rahul BhardwajHost
We did start this part of the conversation by saying the CEO tenure seems to be getting shorter, accelerated in a digital environment.
Strategies are under different types of threats now than they ever have been.
And I've got an idea that you might have some thoughts on how AI might impact CEO tenure and perhaps CEO succession.
AI used to be a nice to have on a CEO spec, and now it's a competency that is a must have.
I hosted an event with a number of directors and it was around the complexity of a board in these times.
And the board directors felt unequipped to be able to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities because they didn't understand enough of what the AI tools can do.
I'm curious, I think that the average age of the CEO will start to get younger because they are more technically affluent.
And therefore, the role of the board becomes even more important because you're going to have a less tenured CEO.
I don't know if anyone has the answer for AI, but those who do, when I talk to them, it's increased their productivity by 25 to 30%.
So younger, potentially less experienced executives, but more experienced perhaps than AI, that doesn't reduce the risk of the CEO succession process.
And when you think role, as someone moves along in their career, they're moving along because of their technical expertise.
And once they hit a certain wall, it becomes more around personal character, values, judgment, and so forth.
If you're catching someone who's just crossing that bridge, that has implications.
We did start this part of the conversation by saying the CEO tenure seems to be getting shorter, accelerated in a digital environment.
Strategies are under different types of threats now than they ever have been.
And I've got an idea that you might have some thoughts on how AI might impact CEO tenure and perhaps CEO succession.
AI used to be a nice to have on a CEO spec, and now it's a competency that is a must have.
I hosted an event with a number of directors and it was around the complexity of a board in these times.
And the board directors felt unequipped to be able to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities because they didn't understand enough of what the AI tools can do.
I'm curious, I think that the average age of the CEO will start to get younger because they are more technically affluent.
And therefore, the role of the board becomes even more important because you're going to have a less tenured CEO.
I don't know if anyone has the answer for AI, but those who do, when I talk to them, it's increased their productivity by 25 to 30%.
So younger, potentially less experienced executives, but more experienced perhaps than AI, that doesn't reduce the risk of the CEO succession process.
And when you think role, as someone moves along in their career, they're moving along because of their technical expertise.
And once they hit a certain wall, it becomes more around personal character, values, judgment, and so forth.
If you're catching someone who's just crossing that bridge, that has implications.
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