• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

2

Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living

3

The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns

1

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

2

Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living

3

The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns
Leadership

6 Oldest CEOs in America in 2015

By
Erik Sherman
Erik Sherman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Erik Sherman
Erik Sherman
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 13, 2015, 7:00 AM ET
Photograph by Michael Tran — FilmMagic
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

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.

But there are some notable exceptions.

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

Warren Buffett

Title: Chairman, CEO
Company: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B)
Age: 85
How long serving: 45 years

Sheldon Adelson

Title: Chairman, CEO
Company: Las Vegas Sands (LVS)
Age: 81
How long serving: 25 years

Roger Penske

Title: Chairman, CEO
Company: Penske Automotive Group (PAG)
Age: 78
How long serving: 16 years

Leslie Wexner

Title: Founder, Executive Chairman, CEO
Company: L Brands (LB)
Age: 78
How long serving: 52 years

Alan Miller

Title: Executive Chairman, CEO
Company: Universal Health Services (UHS)
Age: 77
How long serving: 37 years

Aldo Zucaro

Title: Chairman, CEO
Company: Old Republic International @ori
Age: 76
How long serving: 22 years

 

About the Author
By Erik Sherman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Exclusive: Xbox’s CEO on 3,200 job cuts, four studios axed, and her blunt warning that ‘we spread ourselves too thin’
Microsoft
Exclusive: Xbox’s CEO on 3,200 job cuts, four studios axed, and her blunt warning that ‘we spread ourselves too thin’
By July 6, 2026
0 seconds ago
‘Our business today is not healthy’: 1,600 Xbox employees among the 4,800 laid off by Microsoft as it looks to ‘reset’ gaming division
Big TechMicrosoft
‘Our business today is not healthy’: 1,600 Xbox employees among the 4,800 laid off by Microsoft as it looks to ‘reset’ gaming division
By The Associated PressJuly 6, 2026
1 hour ago
Indra Nooyi sitting in a chair behind a red background.
SuccessCareers
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
By Preston ForeJuly 6, 2026
1 hour ago
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban
SuccessWealth
Billionaire Mark Cuban says it’s ‘embarrassing’ to not pay employees well—and a $20 minimum wage should be standard
By Emma BurleighJuly 6, 2026
2 hours ago
A businesswoman uses a smartphone in modern conference room.
NewslettersFortune Workplace Innovation
The tech attention crisis has hit the workplace. One company thinks AI is the cure
By Kristin StollerJuly 6, 2026
5 hours ago
Scott Roe, CFO and COO of Tapestry.
C-SuiteNext to Lead
How the company behind Coach and Kate Spade decides what belongs in its portfolio
By Ruth UmohJuly 6, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
AI
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 5, 2026
1 day ago
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
Success
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
By Preston ForeJuly 4, 2026
2 days ago
The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns
Investing
The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns
By Jason MaJuly 5, 2026
21 hours ago
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
Law
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
4 days ago
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
AI
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 3, 2026
3 days ago
Mark Zuckerberg takes business calls on a jet ski wearing his $800 Meta glasses—and insists 'the other person could not tell'
Big Tech
Mark Zuckerberg takes business calls on a jet ski wearing his $800 Meta glasses—and insists 'the other person could not tell'
By Sydney LakeJuly 5, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.