By Spriha Srivastava
The idea of resilience over perfection is playing out across industries. A record 2,221 CEOs stepped down in 2024, according to a June report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The trend has continued into 2025, with CEO changes at U.S. companies rising 11% from January to February. The 247 CEO exits of February mark the second-highest total since Challenger began tracking in 2002, nearly matching the all-time high recorded in the same month of 2024.
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa, who took on the role in April and spoke with CNBC in May, described the current business environment as demanding but navigable.
“Keep the optimism up, because the environment is very tough, and you don’t want to get overwhelmed,” he said. “If you get overwhelmed, you can paralyze, and paralysis is not what you need in the current environment. You need to keep moving.”
Espinosa introduced major restructuring plans at embattled Nissan within weeks of his appointment, including job and plant reductions. He also highlighted the importance of leadership alignment.