70% of New CEOs Fail
Source: Gartner · Heidrick & Struggles · Stanford Rock Centre · The Conference Board · Institute of Executive Development
I help you join the 30% who succeed
Executive Coaching
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MCC Master Certified Coach · BCC Board Certified Coach · 25,000+ Coaching Hours · Coaching Practice Est. 2001
Delivering systemic corporate leadership development and executive coaching for MNC regional headquarters in Singapore and globally, including: SAP · Nokia · SimCorp · BNP Paribas · Société Generale · American Express · FedEx · Maersk · Disney · Olam International · Coats Plc · Avaya · Akzo Nobel · Siemens · Bank of Singapore · ING · TMB · DiGi · Clariant · DSM-Firmenich · Total · among others
Trusted Executive Coach for Singapore Public Sector Leaders, Ministries, and Statutory Boards, including: EDB · Monetary Authority of Singapore · Prime Minister's Office · A*STAR · GovTech · SGInnovate · Design Singapore · SIT Singapore Institute of Technology
The transition that derails most new CEOs
Every year, 15% of general management roles globally need to be filled. 76% of companies do not have a ready successor in place, so they either promote someone who is not quite ready, or hire from outside. The result: 70% of new CEO appointments fail to meet performance expectations within the first eighteen months. To solve this critical gap, our specialised C-Suite transition coaching and executive coaching in Singapore, APAC and EMEA ensures newly appointed leaders hit their performance benchmarks flawlessly.
The research is consistent across major leadership institutions.*
And the research also tells us why.
It is not capability. The people being appointed to these roles are experienced, intelligent, and proven. They have earned the position. Navigating this shift successfully requires an elite level of executive coaching that aligns personal leadership capability with complex multinational corporate dynamics.
Only 7% of companies formally assign a coach or mentor to their most senior appointments.
So 93% of newly appointed CEOs navigate the hardest transition of their career without structured support.
What nobody told you is what you are actually walking into.
Your leadership team is watching and waiting to see what changes. They are often not a leadership team at all; they are a group of functional heads. Every cross-functional conversation escalates to you, making it impossible to find the time for strategic thinking when you are constantly being pulled into the operational detail.
At the same time, the Board expects a strategy; the Business expects results; the Organisation expects stability. All three, simultaneously, while you are still learning what you have actually inherited.
And there is nobody to think any of this through with, openly and honestly, without consequence.
That is where I come in.
* Source: Gartner · Heidrick & Struggles · Stanford Rock Centre · The Conference Board · Institute of Executive Development
How the work happens
Every engagement starts with the CEO. That is always the entry point. From there, the work can extend into the organisation at whatever depth is needed, from the leadership team all the way through the management population.
Not every engagement covers all five levels. The scope is always determined by what the organisation actually needs.
Level 1 — CEO 1:1 Coaching
The engagement begins with a structured kick-off, establishing clearly why we are doing this, what success looks like, and how I will know when we have achieved it.
From there I conduct stakeholder mapping: identifying the key relationships the new CEO needs to build, manage and develop. I run stakeholder interviews to gather real behavioural feedback, specific, factual, and actionable. And I teach the CEO how to work with their stakeholders on an ongoing basis, so that behavioural change is visible, recognised and sustained.
I work with CEOs on either an annual or quarterly basis, depending on the situation. Where a CEO is operating across multiple geographies and needs me on site at overseas locations for shadow coaching, I take on annual engagements, a full twelve-month commitment through a complete business cycle. Because of the travel commitment this involves, I work with a maximum of two CEOs at this level at any one time. Where the CEO is Singapore-based or does not require overseas shadow coaching, a quarterly engagement is the right structure, starting with a minimum of two quarters and extending as needed. All engagements are supported by TonyLatimer.ai, your 24/7 leadership development companion that speaks your language, giving you on-demand access to leadership learning and support between sessions.
Executive Coaching Case Studies
Proven outcomes: executive coaching programmes across APAC and Europe
- A Head of Quality took on a full country operation as Managing Director, carrying P&L responsibility for the first time. He now works strategically on growth, with his leadership team running day-to-day operations independently.
- A leader hired from outside was appointed to run a European joint venture, a proving ground for board-level progression. Business objectives were met, and a senior review confirmed her potential for two steps above the position.
Every engagement starts the same way.
It starts with a conversation. We discuss where you are, where you need to be, and what needs to be done differently in order to get there. Everything else follows from that.
