Recently, Disney, HP and PayPal saw their top executives switch to different companies, adding to the strain of attrition rate that was reportedly quite high in 2025
More and more CEOs are moving on from their companies for better offers pitched by competitors, highlighting a seismic shift in top roles across industries amid high economic volatility.
Recently, Disney, HP and PayPal saw their top executives switch to different companies, adding to the strain of attrition rate that was reportedly quite high in 2025.
CEOs of Disney, HP and PayPal quit
Disney: Disney’s theme park chief, Josh D’Amaro, will be moved to the business side of things as he will take over as the network’s CEO on March 18. He will take over the reins from Bob Iger, in what seems to be a carefully orchestrated succession.
He is stepping into leadership at a time of deep uncertainty for the streaming, film, and sports media industries. Major studios and networks are currently finding it difficult to forecast exactly how audiences will engage with content three years down the line.
“Josh D’Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO. He has an instinctive appreciation of the Disney brand, and a deep understanding of what resonates with our audiences, paired with the rigor and attention to detail required to deliver some of our most ambitious projects,” Iger said.
PayPal
PayPal is replacing CEO Alex Chriss with Enrique Lores, saying that the pace of change and execution at the company has not met board expectations over the past two years.
Lores has served as a PayPal board member for almost five years and has been the board Chair since July 2024. He’s also spent more than six years as president and CEO of HP Inc.
“The payments industry is changing faster than ever, driven by new technologies, evolving regulations, an increasingly competitive landscape, and the rapid acceleration of AI that is reshaping commerce daily,” Lores said in a statement on Tuesday. “PayPal sits at the center of this change, and I look forward to leading the team to accelerate the delivery of new innovations and to shape the future of digital payments and commerce.”
HP
Following Lores’s exit from HP, the tech company has positioned Bruce Broussard as the interim CEO. Broussard has been serving on HP’s board since 2021 and is expected to lead the company till a permanent CEO is found.
HP stated that Broussard is tasked with driving the company’s strategic goals by drawing on his deep operational, financial, and management expertise, as well as his familiarity with HP’s operations. He brings over three decades of executive experience at public corporations, including an 11-year tenure as the President and CEO of the healthcare giant Humana Inc.
More CEO exits in 2025
According to a report by the Global CEO Turnover Index from Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA), a total of 234 CEOs left their roles globally last year, up 16 per cent from 2024.
“Elevated CEO turnover is now a fixed feature of today’s governance environment,” the report said.
The CEO’s high turnover was driven by Asian and European companies, although major Western markets also saw many exits.
Germany’s DAX experienced eight departures, a sharp increase from only three in the previous year. Similarly, leadership exits on India’s NIFTY 50 more than doubled, jumping from three to seven, while Singapore’s STI saw departures rise from three to five over the same period.
End of Article
