For many years, aspiring CEOs frequently traveled internationally to advance their careers. A London-based rotation, a São Paulo turnaround, and a Singapore regional assignment. This was the testing site where future leaders developed international understanding and gained the board's trust. In today's era of localized supply chains, increasing protectionist policies, and widespread AI integration, the question has re-emerged: Is international experience still relevant?
TL;DR
- International assignments were historically a fast track for aspiring CEOs, building global understanding and trust.
- Despite changing global dynamics, international experience remains relevant for aspiring global CEOs.
- It signifies strategic influence, cultural adaptability, and lessons learned in handling uncertainty and risk.
- Executives with international experience are more likely to become CEOs and command higher salaries.
Christine Greybe, president of leadership consulting at DHR Global, believes it does, albeit with some subtlety.
“Not all companies are global,” she says. Some of our clients are exclusively domestic, while others have a global reach. To aspire to be a global CEO, it's crucial to have accumulated international, culturally varied experience.
A period abroad continues to signify strategic influence, particularly when it matches a company's scope and aspirations. Corporate boards overseeing worldwide operations increasingly value executives adept at understanding diverse cultural and linguistic nuances, both in direct communication and in broader situational awareness.
Past data reflects that intuition. A long-term study of Coins2Day 200 companies found that executives with international experience were significantly more likely to become CEOs, especially at firms with large shares of global revenue. A sample study of European CEOs reveals a comparable trend: executives with international work experience typically command higher salaries, and these opportunities frequently emerge at the outset of their professional journeys.
Researchers propose that the advantage stems not so much from location itself, but from the lessons learned: how to function amidst uncertainty, handle risks, and harmonize business objectives with regional specificities. One recent paper also connected international experience on a global scale with a more enduring strategic outlook, observing that chief executives who had worked in developed markets abroad tended to maintain consistent investments during periods of fluctuation, as opposed to pursuing Near-term profits.
Matt Guffey, who serves as UPS’s chief commercial and strategy officer, has seen those lessons firsthand. His time leading operations across the U.K., Ireland, and the Nordics reshaped his view of the company’s brand. In the U.S., the “brown package car” is a familiar symbol of reliability, but overseas, the brand resonates differently. Maintaining global trust, he says, required local adaptation. That, in turn, required listening to teams, tailoring the message to each market, and celebrating cultural differences while maintaining a consistent UPS identity worldwide. He remarks that it proved to be an enlightening and shaping experience.
Editor’s note: The deadline to apply for the Coins2Day Next to Lead list is Monday, Dec.1, 2025. For more information or to submit a nomination, apply here.
Ruth Umoh
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