Co-CEOs in the S&P 500 and Russell 3000: Rare but Strategically Persistent
In a new CompanyIQ® Report by MyLogIQ, an in-depth analysis of Co-CEO leadership structures across the S&P 500 and Russell 3000 from 2015 to 2024 reveals that, while still uncommon, the model has proven to be a durable governance strategy for select companies.
A Rare Structure With Strategic Intent
Only 1.2% of S&P 500 companies and 0.84% of Russell 3000 companies have adopted a co-CEO structure over the past decade. Despite these low frequencies, the use of co-CEOs has been persistent in specific strategic contexts such as scaling operations, founder transitions, and multi-line business models.
Long-Term Viability: A Decade and Counting
Some companies have sustained co-CEO models for extended periods.
- In the S&P 500, one company maintained co-CEOs for all 10 years, and another for 7 years.
- In the R3000, three companies sustained co-CEOs for 10 years, with several others maintaining the model for 7 to 9 yearsCo-CEOs in the S&P 500 and R300….
Notable long-duration examples include:
- KKR (10 years)
- Synopsys (7 years)
- Globe Life (6 years)
- Salesforce (6 years – 2 different co-CEOs),
- Lennar (5 years)
- Monster Beverage (5 years), and
- Netflix (5 years)
Why This Matters
For boards and executive teams, these findings offer evidence that co-CEO structures, while unconventional, can thrive in the right strategic contexts. Companies looking to navigate founder transitions, hyper-growth, or multi-line operations can look to these examples as data-backed governance models.
About the Report
This analysis is part of the CompanyIQ® leadership dataset, powered by MyLogIQ, providing transparent insights into executive structures across U.S. public companies.
For more details or to access the full report, visit www.mylogiq.com or contact [email protected].