Abstract
How have the CEOs of large companies worked their way to the top position? Are there several paths to the top or have most present- day CEOs moved up the ranks in a similar fashion? We examine the employment trajectories of all Fortune 100 CEOs across their entire working career in order to answer these questions. The analysis developed in this paper is carried out in two steps. In an initial step, we use sequence analysis to find characteristic patterns in the career paths of CEOs. We then apply clustering techniques to identify distinct groups of career paths that have led individuals to the uppermost management level.