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商界不存在“廉頗老矣”的問(wèn)題

Erik Sherman 2015-12-24

“讓公司遠(yuǎn)離年齡較大的人才,，從商業(yè)的角度而言是沒(méi)道理的,。”

廉頗老矣,，尚能飯否？老驥伏櫪,，志在千里,！這是中國(guó)人對(duì)老齡問(wèn)題最著名表述。在美國(guó),，隨著老齡化問(wèn)題進(jìn)一步嚴(yán)重,，這個(gè)問(wèn)題也開(kāi)始滲入商業(yè)界。

現(xiàn)年92歲的雷石東（Sumner Redstone）有著三個(gè)頭銜：維亞康姆董事長(zhǎng),、CBS董事長(zhǎng),，以及老壽星的稱號(hào)。但這些名頭并非都是好消息,，許多投資者擔(dān)心他是否還有能力繼續(xù)掌管公司,。自2015年初至今，維亞康姆的股價(jià)已經(jīng)下跌了39%,。

最近,，洛杉磯高等法院法官克利福德?克萊因做出裁決，認(rèn)為無(wú)需對(duì)雷石東立刻進(jìn)行額外評(píng)估,。他的前女友曼努艾拉?海徹此前訴訟雷石東,，認(rèn)為他已經(jīng)神志不清。雷石東則表示他已經(jīng)參加并通過(guò)了精神能力測(cè)試,。

而隨著美國(guó)人平均壽命的不斷提高,，其他公司也在上演類似的一幕。今年早些時(shí)候,，現(xiàn)年88歲的新奧爾良圣徒橄欖球隊(duì)和新奧爾良鵜鶘籃球隊(duì)的老板湯姆?本森,，打贏了指控自身行為能力存在問(wèn)題的官司。2014年,，81歲的唐納德?斯特林就沒(méi)那么幸運(yùn),，他最終被迫賣掉了洛杉磯快船隊(duì)。

在大部分上市公司中,，負(fù)責(zé)運(yùn)營(yíng)事宜的都是首席執(zhí)行官而不是董事長(zhǎng),。一些公司為首席執(zhí)行官設(shè)立了強(qiáng)制退休年齡。根據(jù)世界大型企業(yè)聯(lián)合會(huì)提供的數(shù)據(jù),，年收入超過(guò)100億美元的公司中,，有21%制定了這樣的政策，年齡限制通常是65歲,。不過(guò)大部分公司沒(méi)有設(shè)立年齡限制,。正如聯(lián)合會(huì)的企業(yè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力總經(jīng)理馬泰奧?托內(nèi)羅所說(shuō)，“讓公司遠(yuǎn)離”年齡較大的人才，“從商業(yè)的角度而言是沒(méi)道理的,?！?/p>

Spencer Stuart的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，在標(biāo)普500指數(shù)成分股公司中,，首席執(zhí)行官的平均年齡在2004年至2014年間上升了3%,，現(xiàn)為56.9歲。這十分接近《財(cái)富》雜志的統(tǒng)計(jì),。在12月初,，我們對(duì)《財(cái)富》美國(guó)500強(qiáng)公司首席執(zhí)行官的平均年齡進(jìn)行了調(diào)查，結(jié)果顯示為57歲,。

以下是截至12月初,，《財(cái)富》美國(guó)500強(qiáng)企業(yè)中六位年齡最大的首席執(zhí)行官。不得得承認(rèn),，其中很多人的任職時(shí)間長(zhǎng)得嚇人,。

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.