CHICAGO (March 6, 2024) – A significant shift in CEO positioning has emerged according to the third edition of Golin’s CEO Impact Index, which reveals that business transformation narratives now take center stage in executive communications. The study by Golin, an Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) agency, analyzes and ranks communications strategies of the Fortune 500’s top 250 CEOs across eight critical dimensions, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding what drives executive impact in today’s complex business environment.
The Index findings from the back half of 2024 suggest that the traditional formula for CEO positioning has undergone fundamental change. What was once a balance of business results, higher purpose and authentic personal stories has been replaced by a sharp focus on business fundamentals and transformation.
“The CEO Impact Index shows that the old CEO playbook has been thrown out in 2025,” said Matt Neale, CEO, Golin. “This will be a year for caution and precision. As regulatory complexities increase and stakeholder expectations evolve, the most effective leaders are focusing on clear, transformation-driven narratives that cut through the noise and misinformation.”
Key Findings from the 2024-2025 CEO Impact Index
Six key themes emerged from the analysis of the macro reputation landscape:
1. Effective CEO positioning goes beyond media relations. While traditional media remains crucial, the most influential leaders create impact through diverse channels. Top-ranked CEOs scored three times above average in industry awards, 6.5 times higher in major event speaking, and more than double in employee engagement ratings compared to their peers.
2. LinkedIn remains CEOs’ safe harbor in a fragmented social media landscape. Despite only 18% of Index CEOs fully leveraging LinkedIn, those who do are seeing record levels of engagement, demonstrating that quality of interaction matters more than posting frequency.
3. AI discussions have moved from concept to execution. AI is the #1 megatrend focus of CEOs, but theory is not enough. There is increasing appetite for CEOs to demonstrate AI’s tangible business impact—from cost reduction and improved efficiency to enhanced customer experiences.
4. CEOs pivot to a results-driven approach amid growing scrutiny around DEI. Leaders are shifting from broad societal commentary toward focused communication on measurable outcomes and specific business impacts of their DEI programs.
5. Top CEOs mobilize their employees as advocates. CEOs in the top 50 of the Index enjoy an average approval rating of 76% from their employees—10 percentage points above those in the bottom 50. This translates to workplace morale, with the top 50 seeing 74% of employees willing to recommend their company versus 64% among the bottom 50.
6. Visible CEOs are associated with transformation and growth—regardless of sector. A clear and compelling transformation narrative benefits all CEOs, regardless of industry. Companies led by top-ranking Index CEOs enjoy better annual share price growth and annual revenue growth than their Fortune-ranked peers.
“While tech CEOs dominated the top of the CEO Impact Index, reflecting this emphasis on AI-led transformation, they were not the only winners in 2024,” said Megan Noel, Global President, Corporate Affairs, Golin. “Our study shows that every CEO ranked at the top of their industry had a very strong transformation story to tell. Those sectors that saw the biggest gains in the second half of 2024 include aerospace, food services and financial services.”
The Index revealed that only 13 of the 250 CEOs achieved above-average scores across all eight criteria. These “star” CEOs primarily come from technology or tech-adjacent sectors, as well as a few from financial services and airlines.
“With over 32,000 data points in this study, we’ve created the most comprehensive diagnostic tool ever to assess and rank a CEO’s communications impact versus his or her peers,” said Sarah Vellozzi, U.S. Corporate Affairs Practice Lead, Golin. “In this unusual year, as workplace dynamics shift, activist demands increase, and politics shift, we are confident that these data-driven insights can help guide effective executive positioning strategies.”
Actions for 2025
Based on the Index findings, Golin recommends six strategic actions for CEOs to maximize their impact in 2025:
1. Plan a well-rounded approach. While media presence matters, the strongest CEO reputations are built on multiple pillars. In 2025, CEOs who orchestrate a robust positioning program reaching multiple stakeholder groups while navigating an increasingly polarized environment will emerge as the most influential voices in business.
2. Take a measured approach to social media. Approach CEO social media strategy with caution and precision as platforms become more political and fractured. LinkedIn remains a valuable space for CEOs to invest in strategic platform development as the only professional-focused social platform.
3. Advance your AI narrative. To gain and keep credibility, CEOs must move beyond hypotheticals to demonstrate tangible AI results. Leaders should show how they’re implementing responsible AI governance frameworks that protect privacy, eliminate bias, and ensure transparent decision-making.
4. Anchor DEI in business performance. When commenting on DEI, focus on tangible business results—showing how inclusive practices drive growth, develop talent, enhance customer experience, and create market opportunities.
5. Mobilize employees as advocates. By fostering authentic workplace experiences and measuring employee advocacy, CEOs can transform their workforce into powerful surrogates, creating a multiplier effect that extends influence far beyond direct communications.
6. Stay focused on your transformation and growth narrative. CEOs should sharpen their transformation narrative, regardless of industry. Business performance can impact CEO perception, and vice versa, with favorability and growth working hand-in-hand.
CEO Impact Index Methodology
The CEOs analyzed were selected from the top 250 companies of the 2024 Fortune 500, which ranks U.S.-based companies by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. Each Fortune 250 CEO was analyzed and scored based on eight areas of quantifiable executive visibility criteria, including: earned media exposure, LinkedIn presence, awards and rankings, employee engagement, events, trade media engagement, megatrends, and sentiment towards the CEO. These eight individual scores were then used to determine an overall Index score and rank for each CEO, based on Golin’s proprietary weighting system. A secondary analysis was then undertaken to evaluate the top Index CEOs’ business performances versus comparable sets from the Fortune 250 ranking.