40% Failure Rate: Why Middle East Enterprises Must Rethink the First 90 Days of a C-Suite Transition

Author : Wardah Harharah | Published On : 06 Nov 2026

Appointing a new CEO, CFO or COO is one of the most consequential decisions a board can make. It is also one of the riskiest. Leadership research is often cited as showing that around 40% of senior executives struggle or leave within their first 18 months in a new role. Behind that figure sit delayed strategies, disengaged teams and a costly second search.

In the Middle East, the cost of a failed transition is even higher. Regional enterprises are expanding quickly, restructuring around national transformation agendas and competing for scarce senior talent. Many are still leaving the first 90 days to chance, with an induction schedule and a handshake. A growing number of organisations are replacing this with structured executive coaching programmes that give new leaders a clear framework for the most vulnerable period of their tenure.

This article explains why transitions fail, why the regional context raises the stakes, and what a better first 90 days looks like.

Why Do So Many New C-Suite Leaders Fail in Their First Year?

Rarely is it a question of competence. Executives are usually appointed because of a proven record. They fail because the role they step into differs from the one they were hired for, and because nobody helps them see the gap early.

Common causes include:

• Misaligned expectations. The board, the chair and the leadership team may each hold a different view of what success looks like.
• Slow political learning. New leaders underestimate informal power structures and the history behind existing decisions.
• Pressure to show quick wins. An early, poorly informed move can damage credibility for years.
• Isolation. The more senior the role, the fewer people a leader can speak to candidly.

Each of these is predictable, and each can be addressed deliberately during the first three months.

What Makes a C-Suite Transition Harder in the Middle East?

Several features of the regional business environment add complexity to an already difficult moment.

Relationships carry weight. Trust is built through personal connection, and decisions often travel through informal channels before they reach a formal meeting. A leader who relies only on the organisation chart will miss where influence actually sits.

Ownership structures vary widely. A family-owned conglomerate, a government-linked entity and a listed multinational each have different governance, different expectations of the chief executive and different tolerances for change. A playbook that worked in one rarely transfers cleanly to another.

Teams are multicultural. Senior leaders manage people from dozens of nationalities, with different views on hierarchy, feedback and decision-making. Alongside this, nationalisation targets in markets such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE mean many leaders are also responsible for building local talent pipelines.

Pace is fast. Transformation programmes leave little room for a gentle start, so leaders are often expected to deliver while still learning the organisation.

How Should a New Executive Spend the First 30 Days?

The first month is for listening, and it should be planned like any other strategic activity.

A strong opening phase typically includes:

1. Clarifying the mandate. The new executive should agree, in writing where possible, what the board and chair expect in the first year and how success will be measured.
2. Mapping stakeholders. This means identifying formal decision-makers and also the people whose opinion shapes those decisions.
3. Listening tours. Conversations with direct reports, key clients, regulators and frontline teams reveal the real state of the business.
4. Holding back on structural change. Announcing reorganisations before understanding the context is one of the quickest ways to lose trust.

Many organisations skip this phase because it looks passive. In practice, it is where the foundation for every later decision is laid.

What Should Days 31 to 60 Focus On?

With the picture clearer, the second month is about building alliances and testing hypotheses.

The executive should now be working closely with their leadership team, clarifying roles, surfacing tensions and agreeing shared priorities. This is also when candid conversations about capability become necessary. If a gap exists in the team, it is better to acknowledge it early and plan for it than to let it hang over the organisation.

At this stage, a trusted external sounding board becomes particularly valuable. Leaders can rehearse difficult conversations, challenge their own assumptions and avoid reacting to pressure from whoever speaks loudest. An independent coach has no internal agenda and no reporting line, which makes honest reflection possible in a way internal colleagues cannot always offer.

How Do You Turn Insight into Results by Day 90?

By the third month, the new leader should be ready to articulate a clear direction and begin to act on it. This usually means:

• Presenting a focused set of priorities, rather than an exhaustive list.
• Securing one or two visible but well-founded early wins.
• Establishing a communication rhythm with the board, the executive team and the wider organisation.
• Defining the leadership culture they intend to build, and modelling it consistently.

Leaders who reach day 90 with strong relationships, a shared agenda and credibility built on understanding rather than speed are far better placed to sustain performance over the following years.

Why Is Onboarding Alone Not Enough to Support Executive Transitions?

Conventional onboarding is designed for information transfer. It covers systems, policies, introductions and organisational charts. It is necessary, but it does not address the personal and political challenges that decide whether a senior leader succeeds.

A C-suite transition asks different questions. How do I earn credibility with a team that expected someone else to be promoted? How do I handle a founder who still shapes every major decision? How do I adapt my style to a culture I am only beginning to understand? These cannot be answered by an induction pack.

Coaching works because it is personalised, confidential and sustained over time. It gives the leader a space to think clearly under pressure, and it gives the organisation more confidence that its investment in the appointment will pay off. The most effective programmes are built around the leader's actual context rather than a generic curriculum, and they involve the chair or CEO as a sponsor so that the work stays connected to business outcomes.

What Should Boards and HR Leaders Do Differently Now?

Enterprises that want to reduce transition risk can begin with a few practical steps:

• Treat the transition as a project. Assign ownership, set milestones and review progress at 30, 60 and 90 days.
• Agree success measures before the start date. Clarity at the outset prevents disagreement later.
• Invest early. Support offered in the first weeks is far more effective than support offered after problems appear.
• Include internal promotions. Executives moving up from within often receive even less structured help, despite facing a sharp change in role and relationships.
• Review the process after each transition. Every appointment generates lessons that can improve the next one.

Is the First 90 Days the Best Place to Reduce Executive Failure?

For most enterprises, yes. A 40% failure rate is not a law of nature. It reflects a gap between the importance of the moment and the quality of the support around it. Middle East organisations have the ambition and the resources to close that gap. What they need is a more deliberate approach to the first 90 days, one that combines clear expectations, honest feedback and dedicated support for the individual taking on the role.

The enterprises that make this shift will not only protect their investment in senior talent. They will also build leadership teams that are steadier, more aligned and better prepared for the pace of change across the region.