For those on the outside who gethired as a CHRO, it's paramount to have already held that positionat their previous employer.

While HR professionals can still climb their organization'scorporate ladder to one day become the chief human resourceofficer, that position is increasingly being filled by outsidersthat come with new CEOs, according to Talent Strategy Group'sCHRO Trends 2020 report.

"For the second year in a row, there is a high correlationbetween chief executive officer and chief human resources officerturnover," the authors write. "Of the thirty-five new CEOs who cameinto the role in 2019, 40 percent have replaced their CHRO."

Related: Where are all the future HRleaders?

Still, internal successors continued to represent a majority (53percent) of new CHROs in 2019, though that trend has been decliningover the past several years and in the future might be surpassed byexternal successors, according to the report.

"The pathway for a first-time CHRO role still predominantlyflows through internal succession with 85 percent of first-timeCHROs coming to the role through that path," the authors write."For internal successors, tenure within their organization stillreigns supreme. Two-thirds of internal successors had 15 or moreyears of tenure within their company before promotion to the CHROrole."

For those on the outside who get hired as a CHRO, it's paramountto have already held that position at their previous employer–as in82 percent of external succession cases, an organization selectedan individual currently serving as a CHRO.

"This reliance on previous CHRO expertise has created asecondary market for sitting CHROs to increase the size and scopeof their role," the authors write. "In 100 percent of externalsuccessor cases, the CHRO transferred to a company that was largerthan its predecessor company."

Other key findings include:

• CHRO turnover increases. CHROs realized a 16 percent higherturnover rate in 2019 than in 2018. Nearly one in five (19 percent)CHROs turned over in 2019 implying organizations replace their CHROevery 5.27 years. Larger revenue company CHROs were more likely toexperience turnover than smaller revenue company CHROs. Thefinancial and health care sectors combined represented 39 percentof the CHRO moves in 2019, with seven CHRO moves each.
• Female CHROs on the rise. Over three-fourths (78 percent) ofthe new CHROs in 2019 were female — the largest percentageof female CHROs since the report's inception. From 2018 to 2019alone, female representation in the Fortune 200 role increased 12percent from 60 percent to 67.3 percent overall. This increase islargely due to a number of outgoing male CHROs being replaced withfemale CHROs in 2019.
• Advanced education is prevalent. All of the new CHROs of 2019obtained a bachelor's degree or equivalent. Advanced degrees were35 percent more common in 2019 than 2018 with 65 percent of CHROsholding one or multiple advanced degrees. Of CHROs with an advanceddegree, 86 percent held a master's degree or equivalentand 22 percent held a juris doctorate degree.

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