This is a bit of a different blog for me. I decided to do some big data (or perhaps it’s only medium sized).

After I co-blogged with Richard Westney on why CEO’s prefer blondes, it seemed to spark a chain reaction. Amanda Sterling wrote about just because I’m young and quiet, doesn’t mean I’m stupid and David D’Souza blogged on the Sexy Women of HR. Many comments and discussions ensured. All this from wondering about whether CEO’s really get what HR can do and are they hiring the right people to deliver.

Could part of the issue be none of them have ever worked in HR or managed an HR function (even at an exec level?).  I decided to look into the top 50 NZX companies CEO’s and see if I could find the answer.

My CEO analysis

I looked at a number of things:

• Gender
• The degree…