Overcoming the succession planning blind spot: UK business must rethink leadership strategies

Overcoming the succession planning blind spot: UK business must rethink leadership strategies

Despite concerns around future leadership shortages, UK businesses are not taking sufficient action to strengthen their succession plans, putting corporate stability and growth at risk. That’s according to new research from international recruitment firm Robert Half.

In its study, “Towards the C-Suite 2035”, the talent solutions expert found that more than half (59%) of C-Suite and executive leaders are worried about finding suitable leaders for their company over the next decade. Despite this, only 30% are planning to strengthen succession planning, and 37% are creating a formal strategy to replace their leaders.

The research reveals that Private Equity Investors share similar challenges. 54% indicated that they were concerned about their portfolio companies’ ability to find suitable C-suite professionals by 2035, yet only a third (33%) are planning to strengthen succession strategies.

According to Robert Half, this blind spot could leave businesses vulnerable to market disruption and prevent growth. To avoid this, companies must take a realistic and holistic look at their succession plans and accept that change may be necessary.

Dan O’Leary, Managing Director, Executive Search UK at Robert Half, commented:

“There’s clearly a blind spot for some businesses when it comes to succession planning. Yes, there has long been a battle around best practice for these strategies, largely due to the nuanced needs of individual brands, the fast pace of technological change, debates around internal development versus external sourcing, and much more. However, with so many companies concerned that they won’t be able to find the right leaders for their workforce in the next ten years, action is needed.

“Today’s C-Suite has a responsibility to prepare for the future, and that includes ensuring the right people are being geared up to replace them. Leaders must ask forward-looking questions that reflect the evolving nature of work; how will your leadership strategy adapt to technological innovation, generational shifts and geopolitical uncertainty, for example?

“Succession planning should now go beyond simple role replacement. It should instead incorporate future-focused criteria like digital fluency, cross-functional agility and resilience. Organisations need to identify leadership potential earlier and more systematically, using robust data and performance insights to inform decisions. As we anticipate a C-Suite that is more diverse, decentralised, and shaped by roles like Chief AI Officer or Chief Purpose Officer, the succession process must also be more structured and proactive.

“A broader and more inclusive approach to sourcing future leaders is essential. Internal development and career progression will always play a vital role in building the next generation of executives. However, external talent brings fresh perspectives and specialised expertise, especially as new roles emerge to tackle complex challenges.

“Succession planning should be viewed as a continuous, strategic process, not a one-off event. Keeping it high on the boardroom agenda will enable organisations to evolve with confidence and avoid sudden leadership gaps that could disrupt growth.”

ENDS

Robert Half’s ‘Towards the C-Suite 2035’ report highlights the critical challenges shaping executive leadership through 2035. The study examines how companies can prepare the skills and experience executive leadership teams across Europe need to manage a business through today's and tomorrow's challenges.

Download the full report here.

ENDS

Media Contact
Steph King
stephanie@bluesky-pr.com
01582 790 700

Methodology
Robert Half commissioned UK-based Rigour Research Ltd to carry out an online survey in the first quarter of 2025 across the European Union and the United Kingdom. The survey gathered responses from 400 C-Suite and executive leader - ship professionals, drawn from a broad range of commercial sectors. Respondents were evenly split between SMEs and large enterprises, as well as between publicly listed and privately owned companies. In addition, 100 private equity investors based across Europe and the United States were surveyed. The majority (88%) focus on growth and scale-up stage investments, while 34% also invest in distressed assets. The survey was conducted using prompted questions. Participants were initially asked to select all answer options applicable to their organisation. In a second step, they were asked to rank their top three choices from the options previously selected. To ensure representative results, the data were weighted in line with the distribution of the overall population. Please note that due to rounding, some totals may not add up to exactly 100%

About Us
Robert Half brings outstanding organisations and specialised talent together to build successful businesses and fulfilling careers. Innovation and high ethical standards have taken us from a small operation in 1948 to the world’s first and largest specialised talent solutions and business consulting firm, with almost 400 offices worldwide. Robert Half provides contract and permanent recruitment solutions across finance and accounting, IT and technology, financial services, administrative support, human resources, customer service, legal, and marketing. Whether you are looking for a new role or seeking skilled professionals, we are here to support both businesses and careers in moving forward. Robert Half is the parent company of Protiviti, a global consulting firm offering internal audit, risk, business, and technology consulting services. Together, Robert Half and Protiviti deliver integrated Managed Solutions – combining recruitment expertise, consulting knowledge, and project delivery capability to help organisations address complex business challenges with agility and scale. Robert Half, including Protiviti, has been recognised as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies™ and named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For ® list.