- During the first three quarters of 2019, 1,160 CEOs left their positions, according to the staffing firm Challenger, Gray, & Christmas.
- This figure exceeds the number of CEOs who departed during the same nine-month span at the height of the 2008 recession (which saw 1,132 CEO departures).
- The tech sector has seen the second-highest number of CEO departures, with 154 executives in that industry leaving their positions.
- Most recently, SoulCycle CEO Melanie Whelan stepped down after seven years at the company.
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More than 1,000 CEOs stepped down during the first three quarters of 2019, according to a report published by the staffing firm Challenger, Gray, & Christmas— 1,160 executives, to be exact.
Departures in the first nine months of this year exceeded the number of CEOs who stepped down during the first three quarters of 2008 (1,132), which was the height of the Great Recession. This is also the year with the highest CEO turnover in the first three quarters that Challenger, Gray, & Christmas has seen since the firm began tracking departures in 2002.
The tech sector has the second-highest number of CEO departures, at 154, including the high-profile departures of Adam Neumann from WeWork and Kevin Burns from Juul.
On October 22, the heads of Under Armour and Nike announced within hours of each other that they were stepping down. On November 1, the McDonald's board voted to fire CEO Steve Easterbrook over his relationship with an employee. Gap CEO Art Peck stepped down on November 7 after 15 years at the company.
Most recently, SoulCycle CEO Melanie Whelan resigned from the company on Tuesday, which a spokesperson told Business Insider was a "mutual agreement" between the board of SoulCycle and Whelan. Whelan originally joined the company in 2012 as its COO and rose to CEO in 2015.
Of the CEOs who left their positions during the first three quarters, 438 remained at their respective companies in different roles, 292 retired, and 103 moved to other companies, according to the report, which listed several other reasons for departures as well.
Here are the 31 most noteworthy CEO departures of 2019 thus far:
SEE ALSO: The WeWork IPO fiasco of 2019, explained in 30 seconds
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31. SoulCycle — Melanie Whelan
30. Gap — Art Peck
Read more: Gap CEO Art Peck is stepping down from the company
29. McDonald's — Steve Easterbrook
Read more: McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook was fired over a relationship with an employee
28. Wells Fargo — Tim Sloan
Source: Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan is retiring
27. David's Bridal — Scott Key
Source: Wall Street Journal
26. Overstock — Patrick Byrne
25. Under Armour — Kevin Plank
Read more: Kevin Plank is stepping down as CEO of Under Armour
24. Care.com — Sheila Lirio Marcelo
Source: Wall Street Journal
23. AutoNation — Carl Liebert
Read more: AutoNation replaces new CEO with a new CEO
22. PG&E — Geisha Williams
Read more: PG&E says CEO Geisha Williams steps down
21. Kraft Heinz — Bernardo Hees
Read more: Kraft Heinz CEO stepping down, Patricio named successor
20. Blue Apron — Brad Dickerson
Read more: Blue Apron is soaring after its CEO steps down
19. HP — Dion Weisler
18. UnitedHealthcare — Steve Nelson
Read more:Interview with Retired UnitedHealthcare CEO Steve Nelson
17. Guess — Victor Herrero
Read more: Guess CEO Victor Herrero to step down
16. Mozilla — Chris Beard
Source: TechCrunch
15. Boingo Wireless — Dave Hagan
Source: Yahoo Finance
14. REI — Jerry Stritzke
Read more: REI leader resigns over undisclosed relationship
13. Bed, Bath & Beyond — Steven Temares
12. Mattress Firm — Steve Stagner
Read more: Mattress Firm Board of Directors Announces the Resignation of Chief Executive Officer
11. Warner Bros. — Kevin Tsujihara
10. Rite Aid — John Standley
Read more: Rite Aid CEO John Standley To Step Down, Shares Up
9. Burlington Stores — Tom Kingsbury
Source: MarketWatch
8. Best Buy — Hubert Joly
Read more: Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly steps down
7. New York Post — Jesse Angelo
Read more:News Corp Appoints Sean Giancola As CEO of New York Post
6. Colgate-Palmolive — Ian Cook
Source: Financial Times
5. MetLife — Steven Kandarian
Read more: MetLife names Khalaf CEO, Kandarian to retire
4. eBay — Devin Wenig
Read more: eBay CEO abruptly steps down as the company considers selling off assets
3. Juul — Kevin Burns
Read more:Juul's CEO steps down as the e-cig company says it will stop all advertising in the US
2. Nike — Mark Parker
Read more: Nike CEO Mark Parker steps down just hours after Under Armour's chief executive leaves his role
1. WeWork — Adam Neumann
Read more: The WeWork IPO fiasco of 2019, explained in 30 seconds