Good news if the CEO doesn't get marketing

Marketing directors having a tough time getting their marketing budgets past a stubborn CEO can take comfort in a new survey which finds CEOs in Asia have a shorter tenure than their counterparts in Europe and North America.

According to PR outfit Weber Shandwick's Global 500 CEO Departures study Asia Pacific CEOs were inclined to jump ship after four years and three months as compared to US counterparts who tended to warm the top seat in the company for eight years and six months and European CEOs who stuck around for six years and 10 months.

Asian CEOs' tendency to leave after such short periods isn't necessarily their choice, Weber Shandwick's president Asia Pacific, Andrew Pirie says.

"It's no secret that Asia Pacific is a very dynamic and rapidly changing marketplace where many companies are continually on the knife edge of success. In such a climate, the pressure from shareholders and boards of directors for top management to perform, and perform quickly, is immense," Pirie says.

However he adds as well as CEO's being forced from their jobs there is also intense competition for top talent which could also be a factor in the short tenure of Asia Pacific CEOs.

The research is base on CEO departures in companies featured in Fortune magazine's Global 500.