Abigale’s got her eye on the top job
WHAT does it take to be chief executive officer of a big company?
Abigale Legge, 24, will soon find out when she joins John Marshall, CEO of Adecco Group UK & Ireland, for a month of on-the-job experience.
The business management and finance student won the chance in recruiter Adecco’s CEO For One Month challenge.
Abigale says: ‘I’m looking forward to learning about aspects of business and discovering potential options for when I have graduated.
‘Even the selection process gave me a lot of experience, the chance to demonstrate my skills and to network.
‘Whether you start in a graduate scheme or go on to more education, hard work and determination gets you to the top.’
Abigale advises others with CEO ambitions: ‘Know as much as you can about your industry and fill your CV with work experience in your chosen field. Make it clear you want to reach the top.’ Abigale automatically goes forward for the chance of being Adecco Group’s global CEO for a month.
Mr Marshall says: ‘Abigale’s initiative, drive and communication skills made her stand out. After completing a video presenting a human resources solution, she wowed the executive board during an assessment day.’
For future CEOs, choosing an industry and sticking to it is important: of the 100 CEOs in the UK’s top 100 companies, 66 joined from a senior role in the same industry and 30 were promoted from within.
Experience in finance is the best qualification — 55 of the CEOs had this.
A Masters in business administration (MBA) helps: 25 had an MBA.
Ninety-four were men, but Phil Sheridan, UK managing director of Robert Half, which compiled the figures for its 2016 FTSE 100 CEO Tracker, says: ‘The UK is seeing a gradual evolution in the make-up of its top bosses, so people from a range of different backgrounds have a greater chance of becoming CEOs.’