Analyzing Fortune’s Top HR Leaders

In the most recent issue, Workforce Magazine provided some stats on the top HR leaders among Fortune’s 20 Most Admired Companies.  In analyzing those stats, some interesting facts appear…

  • Companies also appearing on the Best Companies to Work: 8 (40%)
  • Average HR leaders’ tenure at their company: 15.2 years
  • Years in top HR leadership position: 3.1 years (this is somewhat misleading as 50% of the leaders have been in their position less than 2 years)
  • Demographics: Male 11 (55%), Female 8 (40%), Undisclosed 1 (5%)
  • Average age of top HR leader: 48.8
  • Youngest HR Leader: 35 (Laszlo Bock - Google, 35)
  • Average age (male): 50.6 (52.2 without Laszlo Bock)
  • Average age (female): 46
  • Previous backgrounds: sales (Nordstrom, Goldman Sachs), legal (Target, UPS), product management (Microsoft, BMW)
  • Facebook users: 2 (both female)
  • Knowledge Infusion clients: 2 (of course we are working on that…)
  • Most of the companies (66%) use VP/SVP of Human Resources as the title of choice (Google and Southwest are more progressive and use “people” instead of HR)

Discuss…

July 14th, 2008

2 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Lisa  |  July 15th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

    Thanks for the breakdown, Jason. I enjoyed the article in Workforce and the stat that came off the screen and slapped me upside the head is that so many of them come to their current positions from a background in something other than HR. ‘Nuff said.

  • 2. HR secrets of Fortune 20 &hellip  |  April 28th, 2009 at 7:15 pm

    […] on the top HR leaders among Fortune’s 20 Most Admired Companies.  Jason Corsello (who writes Human Capitalist blog) analysed those statistics and uncovered some interesting […]

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