A piece (subscription required) in The Wall Street Journal looks at the increasingly common practice of companies selecting new CEOs from the ranks of their current directors.
Proponents of the practice believe that a current director will already have some familiarity with the company and its people and that that makes for a smoother transition. But the Journal adds that "Some investors disagree. They contend that a chief chosen from the board signals cronyism and weak succession planning. A director's comfort with a colleague obscures `a clear view of the individual's suitability to be a successful CEO,' says Richard Breeden, an activist investor and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission."
Another concern that I have that wasn't touched on in the article is that in many cases, a member of the board is brought in to replace a CEO who has been pushed aside because of poor performance.
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