The position of CEO is very rarely an overnight success story. Getting to the top position in a company can take years of career development, working in the right industries and attaining the right educational training.

Specialised recruitment company Robert Half has conducted extensive research of Australia’s ASX 200-listed CEOs to identify the common pathway to becoming a CEO. The research found 54 per cent of ASX 200-listed CEOS hold a postgraduate degree, 50 per cent have a background in finance and 69 per cent have worked internationally.

While Australia’s top business leaders all have their own individual career journey, common trends can be found to give insights to those aspiring the top position in a company.

The research found that the journey to becoming a CEO for many candidates can begin with choosing the right geographical location.  While 96 per cent of ASX 200 companies are based in Australia, New South Wales is the dominant business domain as almost half are based in the Sydney metro area.  More than a quarter are based in the Melbourne metro area, followed by Brisbane (9 per cent), Perth (9 per cent) and Adelaide (3 per cent). Only 4 per cent of ASX 200-listed CEOs are based internationally in North America, New Zealand and the UK.

For more info on the research, check out the Robert Half CEO Tracker here.