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商界不存在“廉颇老矣”的问题

Erik Sherman 2015-12-24

“让公司远离年龄较大的人才，从商业的角度而言是没道理的。”

廉颇老矣，尚能饭否？老骥伏枥，志在千里！这是中国人对老龄问题最著名表述。在美国，随着老龄化问题进一步严重，这个问题也开始渗入商业界。

现年92岁的雷石东（Sumner Redstone）有着三个头衔：维亚康姆董事长、CBS董事长，以及老寿星的称号。但这些名头并非都是好消息，许多投资者担心他是否还有能力继续掌管公司。自2015年初至今，维亚康姆的股价已经下跌了39%。

最近，洛杉矶高等法院法官克利福德•克莱因做出裁决，认为无需对雷石东立刻进行额外评估。他的前女友曼努艾拉•海彻此前诉讼雷石东，认为他已经神志不清。雷石东则表示他已经参加并通过了精神能力测试。

而随着美国人平均寿命的不断提高，其他公司也在上演类似的一幕。今年早些时候，现年88岁的新奥尔良圣徒橄榄球队和新奥尔良鹈鹕篮球队的老板汤姆•本森，打赢了指控自身行为能力存在问题的官司。2014年，81岁的唐纳德•斯特林就没那么幸运，他最终被迫卖掉了洛杉矶快船队。

在大部分上市公司中，负责运营事宜的都是首席执行官而不是董事长。一些公司为首席执行官设立了强制退休年龄。根据世界大型企业联合会提供的数据，年收入超过100亿美元的公司中，有21%制定了这样的政策，年龄限制通常是65岁。不过大部分公司没有设立年龄限制。正如联合会的企业领导力总经理马泰奥•托内罗所说，“让公司远离”年龄较大的人才，“从商业的角度而言是没道理的。”

Spencer Stuart的数据显示，在标普500指数成分股公司中，首席执行官的平均年龄在2004年至2014年间上升了3%，现为56.9岁。这十分接近《财富》杂志的统计。在12月初，我们对《财富》美国500强公司首席执行官的平均年龄进行了调查，结果显示为57岁。

以下是截至12月初，《财富》美国500强企业中六位年龄最大的首席执行官。不得得承认，其中很多人的任职时间长得吓人。

Sumner Redstone holds three titles: chairman of both Viacom and CBS and, at age 92, nonagenarian. The combination has caused investor concern over whether Redstone can remain in charge. Shares are down roughly 39% since the beginning of 2015.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Clifford Klein recently ruled there’s no need for an additional immediate evaluation as Redstone’s former girlfriend Manuela Herzer requested in a lawsuit seeking to have the executive declared mentally incompetent. Redstone’s camp says he has taken and passed mental competency tests.

As Americans’ life expectancy continues to rise, similar dramas are playing out at other companies. Earlier this year, now-88-year-old Tom Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints football and Pelicans basketball teams, successfully deflected a competency lawsuit. Last year Donald Sterling, 81, wasn’t so lucky when it came to the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team.

At most public companies, operational leadership is the responsibility of the CEO, not the chairman. A small number of companies set a mandatory retirement age for CEOs. According to information from The Conference Board, 21% of businesses with annual revenue of $10 billion or more have such policies, almost always setting top age at 65. But most companies do not set limits, as “it would make no business sense for a company to distance itself from” older talent, says Conference Board Managing Director of Corporate Leadership Matteo Tonello.

The average age of a CEO of S&P 500 companies rose by 3% between 2004 and 2014 to 56.9 today, according to Spencer Stuart. That tracks closely with a Fortune analysis conducted in early December of the current Fortune 500 CEOs that showed the average age of a Fortune 500 CEO as 57.

Here are the six oldest CEOs of Fortune 500 giants, as of early December.