According to Fortune, the traditional CEO pipeline that required international experience is facing new scrutiny in today’s business environment. Christine Greybe, president of leadership consulting at DHR Global, argues that while not all companies need globally experienced leaders, those operating internationally still value overseas stints. Research shows executives with international experience were significantly more likely to become CEO at Fortune 200 companies, particularly those with large global revenue shares. European CEO studies reveal similar patterns, with internationally experienced leaders tending to earn more. The benefits come less from geography itself than from the skills developed—operating in ambiguity, managing risk, and balancing corporate strategy with local nuance.
Why it still matters
Here’s the thing: international experience isn’t about collecting passport stamps anymore. It’s about developing what researchers call a “longer-term strategic mindset.” One study found that CEOs with advanced-market international backgrounds were more likely to invest steadily through volatility rather than chase short-term returns. That’s a pretty valuable skill when economic uncertainty seems to be the new normal.
But does this mean every aspiring leader needs to pack their bags? Not necessarily. Greybe makes the crucial point that context matters enormously. If you’re running a regional business or a company that’s heavily domestic, deep local knowledge might be more valuable than global exposure. The key is alignment between the leader’s experience and the company’s actual footprint.
The real lessons
Matt Guffey, UPS’s chief commercial and strategy officer, provides a perfect case study. His time leading operations across the U.K., Ireland, and Nordics taught him that even a trusted brand like UPS resonates differently overseas. Maintaining global trust required local adaptation—listening to teams, tailoring messages, celebrating cultural differences while keeping the core identity consistent. That’s the real value: learning to lead through complexity and ambiguity.
Basically, it’s not about where you’ve been, but what you learned while you were there. Can you navigate different regulatory environments? Understand diverse customer needs? Build teams across cultural divides? These are the skills that translate back to headquarters, whether you’re dealing with different departments or different countries.
Changing landscape
So what’s changing? The world is becoming more regionalized in some ways, with supply chains shifting and protectionism rising. At the same time, remote work and digital tools make it easier to understand global markets without physically being there. Does that mean the era of the international assignment is over?
Probably not. But the nature of those experiences is evolving. Short-term projects, virtual collaborations, and targeted market entries might replace the traditional multi-year expat assignments. The goal remains the same: developing leaders who can think globally while acting locally. And honestly, that’s a skill set that’s becoming more valuable, not less, even as how we acquire it changes.
The data from long-term studies and recent research suggests international experience still carries weight in the C-suite. But it’s becoming one factor among many rather than a non-negotiable requirement. The most forward-thinking companies are probably asking a different question: not “Have they worked overseas?” but “Can they lead effectively across boundaries?” And that’s a much more interesting conversation.
