Executive search is being reshaped by a broader and more demanding leadership agenda. Across markets, boards, investors, and management teams are not simply hiring for experience. They are hiring for transformation, resilience, and long-term value creation.   Recent global CEO and workforce research points to five themes in particular that are redefining leadership mandates: AI, succession planning, next-generation leadership, sustainability, and private equity.  1. AI is reshaping leadership expectations AI has moved from innovation topic to leadership imperative. KPMG’s 2025 Global CEO Outlook found that 71% of CEOs are strongly backing investment in AI, while the same percentage are prioritizing the retention and retraining of high-potential talent. The message is clear: organizations see growth as both tech-enabled and people-led.   For executive search, this is changing the brief. Clients are not only looking for technical fluency. They want leaders who can translate AI into strategy, governance, operating performance, and organizational confidence. The strongest candidates are those who can balance innovation with judgment, and opportunity with risk.  2. Succession planning is becoming more urgent Succession planning is also moving higher on the agenda. The Conference Board reported that CEO succession announcements among S&P 500 companies increased in 2025, putting the projected annual succession rate at 13%, up [...]

Adobe’s announcement that CEO Shantanu Narayen will step down once a successor is appointed is more than a notable leadership change at one of the world’s best-known software companies. It is a signal of how boards are navigating succession in a moment when AI disruption, investor scrutiny, and strategic transformation are converging at the top of the house.   For companies across sectors, Adobe’s move underscores a growing reality: CEO succession is no longer simply about continuity. It is about identifying the leader best equipped to guide the organization through technological change, market pressure, and shifting stakeholder expectations.  A Leadership Transition at a Strategic Inflection Point  Narayen has served as Adobe’s CEO for 18 years and will remain Chair of the Board after a successor is named. Adobe said its board has formed a special committee, chaired by Lead Independent Director Frank Calderoni, to consider both internal and external candidates.   The timing matters. Adobe announced the transition alongside strong quarterly results, including first-quarter revenue of $6.40 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $6.06, both above analyst expectations. Yet the market reaction was negative, with shares falling more than 7% in extended trading as investors weighed uncertainty around leadership and Adobe’s ability to sustain its position in an AI-shaped software landscape.   That [...]

5 key learnings from AESC’s first member workshop on AI-enabled business developmentBusiness development in executive search is evolving. In a market defined by complexity, competition, and constant change, clients expect more than outreach — they expect insight. They want search partners who understand their business, anticipate leadership needs, and bring relevant perspective to every conversation.That was the focus of AESC’s first Member workshop on AI-enabled business development, delivered in partnership with Retrained. The session explored how artificial intelligence can help executive search professionals strengthen business development efforts not by increasing activity, but by improving the quality, relevance, and strategic value of every client interaction.AI should support a more advisory approachA central theme of the workshop was that AI should support a more advisory approach to business development. Rather than encouraging firms to cast a wider net, the opportunity is to go deeper: to prepare more thoroughly, identify more meaningful signals, and engage clients with greater context and precision.In this model, AI accelerates research and surfaces intelligence, while consultants apply the judgment, discretion, and relationship insight that remain essential to trusted advisory work.Better preparation leads to better conversationsThe workshop highlighted how AI can dramatically improve preparation. Tasks that once required hours [...]