The turnover of chief executives of agribusiness companies in Brazil took a leap in 2024/2025, with 25% of the 100 largest registering at least one CEO change in the biennium, in a more challenging business environment for the sector, which has been looking for leaders with greater execution capacity, according to research by consultancy Flow Executive Finders.
The data represents a jump compared to a previous survey, which had indicated a renewal rate of 12% in 2022/2023, according to a survey sent to Reuters by the company specialized in selecting the most senior executives.
According to the consultancy, CEO changes were boosted at a time when agribusiness companies — one of the sectors most exposed to volatility — are looking for professionals with profiles capable of balancing operational and financial efficiency and .
Some segments, such as soybeans and corn, have been dealing with lower margins, higher defaults and a wave of judicial recoveries, while others have been affected more recently by US tariffs.
“What draws attention is not just the volume, but the context: companies are more demanding in relation to their leadership profile, looking for executives with greater execution capacity, financial discipline and strategic reading”, said Saulo Ferreira, partner at Flow.
Together, the 100 companies included in the survey total around R$2 trillion in net revenue, according to the company.
Ferreira also noted that, despite the growth in turnover, the 25% rate of CEO change is in line with what is observed in other markets.
But the research also showed that, in agribusiness, there were cases with more than one change of leadership in the period, which tends to indicate — be it in the strategy, in the operational model or in the governance of the companies themselves.
“The change of CEO more than once in a short interval usually indicates, often related to the redefinition of business priorities”, assessed Igor Schultz, partner at Flow.
“What we see is an evolution of the mandate: we have moved from a cycle more oriented towards growth and expansion 🏽 to a context that requires greater discipline in execution, risk management and capital allocation”, he concluded.
Regarding the profile of the companies, of the 25 analyzed, 48% are privately held, 24% are publicly traded, 20% are subsidiaries of multinationals and 8% are cooperatives.
Furthermore, 60% are family managed.
“In family-owned or privately held companies, the change of CEO involves not only performance and strategy, but also culture, legacy and dynamics among shareholders. What we observe is an evolution of management models, with greater openness to market executives”, added Schultz.
For him, this movement is also associated with the greater sophistication of companies in the sector in their relationship with the capital market. They seek greater governance, financial discipline and predictability of results, especially in an environment of lower liquidity, commented the Flow partner.
