Ambitious Australians eye the top job

38% of finance managers aspire to become CEO of their company
46% of CEOs are recruited externally
21% of finance managers say the size of their organisation is the main reason they are unable to rise to company CEO

Almost four in ten Australian finance managers aspire to lead their company, the latest Robert Half Finance and Accountingís International Workplace Survey1 reveals.

Australia leads the way with finance managers having CEO aspirations, with 38% of the surveyís respondents eyeing the top job. This figure was higher than that of colleagues in New Zealand (30%), the UK (24%) and globally (23%).

And it seems male finance managers covet the top job more than their female counterparts, with 44% of men saying they aspired to be CEO and 23% of women indicating they had company leadership ambitions.

While almost half of CEOs rise to the role internally in Australia, the survey found the size of the organisation (21%) and too much internal competition (15%) were seen as the main obstacles to securing the top job. Other obstacles included having a CEO who would not leave (12%) and lack of training opportunities (9%).

The survey also found that despite the finding that 46% of CEOs were recruited externally, just 5% of Australian finance managers stated that a culture of bringing in external people was thwarting their desire to make it to the top.

Although a financial background was seen as important by respondents (38%), the key success factors for CEOs were management capacity (54%), good communication skills (49%) and vision (39%).

Nigel Barcham, Managing Director, Robert Half Finance and Accounting, said the results underlined the need for companies to continue to develop the soft skills of their finance managers to equip them for senior management positions.

ìThe results of this survey show that Australia is a stand-out in terms of its ambitious finance managers,î Nigel said.

ìHowever, organisations should address any issues their employees have surrounding promotion. This ensures talent and ambition is nurtured and those determined employees are able to visualise a clear career path straight to the top.î