Manufacturing firms are bringing in new leaders from outside. Most senior hires were external appointments. Leadership changes were most frequent at the CEO and MD levels. This indicates companies are preparing for digital transformation and new supply chains. The automotive sector saw the most activity. Women are more likely to be promoted internally, but still lag in overall representation.
A significant percentage of executive movements in the manufacturing sector over the past year were external hires, highlighting a clear preference among organisations to bring in fresh leadership rather than promote from within, says a report.
According to a report by CIEL HR Services, based on an analysis of executive-level movements within the Indian manufacturing sector over a 12-month period, said that nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of senior hires in the manufacturing sector in the past year were external appointments.
The report’s insights are based on proprietary data collected from a combination of publicly available sources, including professional networking platforms, company announcements, press releases, and verified databases tracking senior management appointments.
The report further revealed that leadership churn was most visible at the very top.
Nearly half (47 per cent) of all tracked movements were at the CEO/President/MD level, highlighting that boards are actively rethinking leadership for the future, the report found.
“When nearly half of leadership moves are happening at the CEO and MD level, it tells us something profound, manufacturing firms are not shying away from tough choices at the very top.
“This level of churn points to companies preparing themselves for digitalisation, energy transition, and new global supply chains. Leadership today is being seen less as a position of stability and more as a lever of transformation,” CIEL HR Services Group CEO Aditya Mishra said.
The automotive and auto components sector emerged as the most active segment, accounting for 35 per cent of all senior-level movements, reflecting the sector’s size, strategic importance, and fast-paced transformation agenda.
Meanwhile, the report revealed that manufacturing contributed 23 per cent of all leadership movements across industries in the last year, ranking second only to IT and ITeS.
The report further highlighted that while women accounted for only 14 per cent of overall movements, they were more likely than men to rise through internal promotions.
While only 14 per cent of executive hires were women, 42 per cent of those women were promoted internally, compared to 36 per cent of men, the report noted.
The auto sector distinguished itself as a leader in gender representation, with women making up 26 per cent of its executive hires, nearly double the industry average.
However, data stated that women leaders in the auto sector remained heavily concentrated in HR (30 per cent), pointing to the need for greater inclusion in operations, technology, and core business leadership roles, the report said.
When it came to geographies, senior executive movements within the manufacturing sector have been most concentrated in Delhi/NCR, which accounted for 27 per cent of total transitions.
Mumbai followed with an 18 per cent share, while Bengaluru and Pune saw comparable activity, each capturing 11 per cent of the total executive moves, it stated.
