Average Age of Executives at Top 100 Companies Reaches 54.2... Fewer Young Executives, More Aged 50 or Older

Only Naver Maintains an Average Executive Age in the 40s

Generational Leadership Change in Major Corporations Remains Slow

Of 14 Executives Aged 30 or Younger, 12 Are Owner Family Members

The average age of executives at the top 100 companies by market capitalization has increased compared to 10 years ago. Naver was the only company with an average executive age in the 40s, and among executives under 30, only two were professional managers not part of the owner family. On July 22, business data research firm CEO Score released the results of its study on the ages of registered and unregistered executives at the top 100 KOSPI-listed companies by market capitalization that had submitted both 2016 and Q1 2026 reports.

The average age of executives at the top 100 companies by market capitalization has increased compared to 10 years ago. Naver was the only company with an average executive age in their 40s, and among executives under 30, there were only two professional managers who were not family owners. Pixabay

The survey found that, as of the first quarter of this year, the average age of executives at the top 100 companies by market capitalization was 54.2 years old. This is 1.1 years older than 53.1 years in 2016, showing an increase over the past 10 years. By age group, those in their 50s accounted for the largest proportion at 72.6% of all executives. They were followed by those in their 40s at 15.9%, in their 60s at 10.3%, those aged 70 and over at 1.1%, and those under 40 at 0.2%.

Proportion of executives aged 50 and above increased over 10 years...clear aging trend

In 2016, the proportions were: executives in their 50s at 68.6%, those in their 40s at 22.3%, in their 60s at 7.7%, those aged 70 and over at 1.0%, and those under 40 at 0.3%. While the proportion of executives in their 40s and younger has decreased over the past 10 years, the proportion in their 50s and 60s has increased, showing a clear trend toward an aging executive group. Naver was the only company with an average executive age in the 40s, at 49.2 years old. In 2016, there were 8 companies with an average executive age in the 40s, but this number fell to just 1 this year.

Meanwhile, the number of companies with an average executive age in the 60s increased from 1 in 2016 to 7 this year. Alteogen had the highest average executive age among the surveyed companies at 62.7 years. The youngest executive was Jung Jeonggil, Executive Director at Daewoo E&C and the eldest son of Jung Wonju, Chairman of Jungheung Construction Group, who was 28 years old this year. He was also the only executive in his 20s among those surveyed. The total number of executives under the age of 40 was 14. Of these, only two were professional managers not part of the owner family: Park Giru, Executive Director at Samsung Electronics, and Jeon Haemin, Executive Director at Hanmi Pharm.

The remaining 12 were all owner family members: Jeon Byungwoo, Executive Director at Samyang Foods; Jung Yujin, Department Head at PharmaResearch; Lee Seonho, Management Leader at CJ; Jung Jaerim, Executive Director at KCC; Choi Yoonjeong, in charge at SK; Lee Seunghwan, Vice President at Ecopro; Kim Dongseon, Head of Division at Hanwha; Kim Daeheon, Non-Executive Director at Taihan Cable; Eom Junghun, Director at Eugene Technology; Jung Raeseung, Director at PharmaResearch; and Seo Joonseok, Senior Vice Chairman at Celltrion. Among executives in their 80s and above, the only non-family member was Yoon Jeunghyun, former Minister of Economy and Finance and Outside Director at LS ELECTRIC.

Female executives still account for less than 10% of all executives

Caregen showed the sharpest increase in average executive age over the past 10 years, rising from 45.9 in 2016 to 56.6 this year, an increase of 10.7 years. Conversely, GS saw the biggest drop, with average executive age falling from 62.4 years to 58.3 years over the same period, a decrease of 4.1 years. The proportion of female executives has grown.

The percentage of female executives at the top 100 companies by market capitalization rose by 5.7 percentage points, from 2.6% in 2016 to 8.3% this year. However, female executives still accounted for less than 10% of all executives. Due to measures such as the mandatory appointment of female outside directors, the number of companies without a single female executive sharply declined from 51 in 2016 to just 8 this year.

This survey confirmed a positive trend of increased female representation among executives in the top companies. However, generational turnover among executives is progressing slowly by comparison. In particular, since the entry of professional managers under the age of 30 remains extremely limited, experts argue that companies should review how open their recruitment and promotion systems are to younger executives.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.