Why CEOs—Not HR—Must Drive Executive Recruitment

Executive recruitment is not just another operational task; it is a core strategic responsibility that no CEO can afford to delegate. 

In the early 2000s, global disruptions like Y2K, the dotcom bust, and September 11 sent shockwaves through economies worldwide, with the NASDAQ plummeting 78% between 2000 and 2002. These events ushered in a new reality: business survival would depend on having the right leaders in place at every level, not just in the CEO role. 

Yet despite these lessons, many companies still treat executive recruitment as just another HR function. Fast forward to today, and organizations face even greater complexities, making this approach more dangerous than ever. 

Companies need strong leaders, but what role should the CEO play in recruiting them? I believe they should play a central one—a role that often doesn’t receive the attention it deserves.  

 Without the Right People, Your Strategy Means Nothing

In 2002, I read Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan. The book’s message was clear: success isn’t just about having a vision or strategy; it’s about disciplined execution.  

McKinsey’s research validates this focus on execution capability: companies with the strongest ability to execute their strategies—as measured by organizational health—deliver three times the shareholder returns of their less healthy counterparts. 

Bossidy and Charan argue that successful execution rests on three pillars: people, strategy, and operations. They posit that without the right people in place, even the most carefully crafted strategy will fail.  

This makes the case for CEOs playing an active role in executive recruitment. If people are one of the three pillars of execution, they warrant the same attention as strategy and operations.  

Will Your Company Survive the Next Decade? It Depends Who You Hire

Bossidy and Charan made a powerful point: a strong strategy is only as good as the people entrusted to carry it out. And in 2024 and beyond, the stakes have never been higher—45% of CEOs believe their companies will not be economically viable within ten years without major transformation. Who will drive that transformation if not the very executives whose hiring CEOs should oversee? 

This existential challenge—no, crisis—demands exceptional leadership at every level, and many companies simply don’t have it. They’ve delegated executive hiring to HR for years without questioning this approach. Yet HR rarely has full visibility of the CEO’s strategic plan, making it impossible to align talent with vision.  

When CEOs aren’t meaningfully involved in these hires, they risk compromising their strategy from the outset and, more critically, finding themselves without the right people to tackle both today’s challenges and tomorrow’s uncertainties. 

 What Goes Wrong When You Leave Executive Hiring to HR

When HR teams handle executive recruitment without CEO involvement, they often focus on checklist items: past titles, years of experience, and industry background. But great leaders need more than just the right resume.  

The numbers tell the story: while 88% of business transformations fall short of their goals, the single strongest predictor of success is how well companies manage their leadership talent—from retention to development to recruitment. 

Your HR Team Can’t Help You Hire Leaders If They Don’t Know Your Strategy

Some might argue, “We want HR driving executive recruitment, with CEO oversight.” Fair enough, but the CEO’s “oversight” can’t just mean interviewing final candidates. HR needs a seat at the strategy table. Without it, even the most talented HR teams can’t make the right hiring decisions. 

More than half of HR departments aren’t seen as being “strategic” within their organizations, despite their role in building the executive team. This means many companies can’t effectively delegate executive recruitment to HR—they’ve inadvertently hampered their HR department’s ability to hire strategically. When HR is kept apart from executive decision-making, hiring decisions risk misaligning with strategic needs, creating leadership gaps that jeopardize long-term objectives. 

Here’s How CEOs and HR Should Work Together on Executive Hiring 

How should companies handle executive recruitment to avoid the pitfalls we’ve discussed? HR should handle the practical parts—candidate pipelines, initial screenings, and assessments. The CEO needs to be involved at every step: defining exactly what the role requires, shaping interview questions based on strategic needs, reviewing candidates throughout the process, meeting shortlisted candidates multiple times, and making decisions with HR’s input. No more “final interview only” approach. 

Outside of doling out to-do lists for executive recruiting to CEOs and HR departments, more must be done to fix the overall problem. CEOs must include HR in strategic conversations and decision-making—after all, how can you expect someone to find you the right business partner if they don’t know where the business is going? Some companies try to solve this by having functional heads like the CFO or CHRO lead executive searches instead of HR, thinking they’ll understand the strategic needs better. But this misses the point entirely. These roles are too important to delegate to anyone but the CEO, who alone has the full picture of where the company needs to go. 

About the Authors

Jean-François Lavigne is a Partner at Stanton Chase Montreal and member of the Order of Chartered Administrators of Quebec (C.Adm). With two decades of executive search expertise and experience as a business owner, including founding and running a successful real estate management firm, he brings a practitioner’s perspective to executive recruitment across professional services, industrial sectors, and life sciences, informed by his MBA studies and entrepreneurial background. 

Paul Theriault is a Managing Partner at Stanton Chase Montreal, bringing over 15 years of experience in executive search across the consumer products and services and supply chain sectors. Prior to joining Stanton Chase, he co-founded his own successful executive search firm, giving him unique insights into both building leadership teams and running a business. Paul is known for his disciplined and tailored approach to executive recruitment.