The first half of 2026 felt like two very different hiring markets.
Q1 started with strong momentum. Businesses had intent, confidence was returning and executive hiring was beginning to accelerate. By Q2, geopolitical uncertainty had introduced a greater degree of caution. Hiring didn't stop, but organisations became far more deliberate about where they invested.
One thing didn't change. Supply Chain, Operations and Procurement leadership remained firmly on the agenda.
Following the response to last year's report, we've analysed 111 external CSCO, CPO and COO appointments from the first half of 2026 - 50% ahead of H1 2025, despite a slowdown in hiring in Q2
A few trends stood out:
- Procurement leadership remained a major priority as organisations responded to tariffs, supplier risk and cost pressures.
- 33% of appointments came from outside the hiring company's industry. Organisations appear increasingly willing to hire leaders with experience of similar transformation journeys, operational models and ownership structures, rather than insisting on direct sector experience.
- North America remained the busiest market, followed by APAC, while Europe continued to see selective but steady executive hiring.
The report also explores hiring activity by industry, regional trends, diversity across senior appointments and our outlook for H2.
If you're hiring senior Supply Chain, Procurement or Operations leaders, or planning your next career move, this gives a unique view of what's actually happening across the global market right now.
You can view the survey below; to enlarge just click on the text below the reading pane. Alternatively, you can download it as a PDF document *HERE*