January 2009

We have completed our research into Characteristics of Successful Technology CEOs. We invite you to download the final report.
I must admit I was surprised at some of these results in spite of assisting search committees select CEOs for over a decade. Busting some of these myths may prove to be very useful in improving the performance of our corporations.

The new report is available to download here.

In 6 sections we investigate the impact on CEO success at public technology companies in New England of these factors:

• Education
  What Education do these CEOs have?
  Does an Ivy League degree matter?

• Experience
  What functional experience do these CEOs have?

• Internal Promotions vs. External Hires:
  Which ones perform better? How do founders perform?
  You would be surprised with these results.

• Age:
  What is the optimal age for a CEO?

• Tenure:
  How long have they been in the role and how long have they been with the company?

• Combined Chairman and CEO:
  Is the role combination or separation a positive correlation to success?

I hope that you find this study both informative and insightful. If you would like to discuss any aspect of this study further, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Your input will help fuel investments in future research we publish.

Wishing you all the best for 2009!

Dora Vell
Vell Executive Search
m: 617-416-9088  |  t: 781-416-4003