Egon Zehnder Gathers Expert Playbook on Succession Planning for 2026

Egon Zehnder, one of the world's largest executive search and leadership advisory firms, has published a round-up of succession planning best practices from top experts, timed for 2026.

The firm did not release a single-authored report. Instead, it collected guidance from multiple named specialists in leadership advisory, packaging their perspectives into a single reference for boards and chief executives preparing leadership transitions.

The publication arrives at a moment when boards face rising pressure on CEO transitions. Succession planning has moved from an annual checklist item to a continuous process, and Egon Zehnder's round-up reflects that shift by drawing on practitioners who advise boards directly on leadership handovers.

The source material available to Business Bearings consists of the article's title and publication details. The full body of the round-up sits behind the original Egon Zehnder release, and specific recommendations, named contributors, and any cited data are contained there. This report therefore does not reproduce claims that could not be verified from the available source.

What the headline establishes is straightforward: Egon Zehnder convened a group of experts and asked them for their current best practices in succession planning, and the firm labeled the result as guidance for 2026. The firm publishes regularly on leadership, board effectiveness, and executive transition, and this piece extends that body of work.

For boards, the practical signal is that Egon Zehnder considers succession planning a priority topic for 2026 and has invested expert time in codifying current practice. Companies that treat succession as a live, continuously refreshed process rather than an emergency response are the implicit audience.

Readers who need the specific recommendations should consult the full round-up on Egon Zehnder's platform, where the expert contributions and their named authors appear in detail.