Federico Grayeb
Executive Leadership I Executive Retention Advisor
Understanding why globally mobile executives choose to stay.
My research explores the decisions of Peripatetic International Executives (PIEs)—senior leaders who build their careers across countries and cultures.
It challenges conventional assumptions about retention and reveals what truly matters to exceptional leaders.
RESEARCH
THE STUDY
A three-year mixed-methods research program.
The study combined in-depth qualitative interviews with a large-scale quantitative analysis.
30+
In-depth interviews
with senior executives across countries
38
Countries
represented in the quantitative study
400+
Executives surveyed in global pharmaceutical and medtech companies
3
Years of rigorous research, analysis, and validation
KEY FINDINGS
What truly drives the decision to stay.
The research challenges many widely held beliefs about executive retention.
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Career growth is the strongest driver.
The perception of a credible future, continued learning, and expanding scope is art most influences senior executives to stay.
Leadership quality comes second.
Leaders who inspire trust, proved clear direction, and develop talent have a profound impact on retention.
Off-the-job factors mattered far less than expected.
Family, location, and community are important-but typically as enablers of the decision, not as primary drivers.
Compensation and location have minimal impact.
They contribute, but rarely determine the decision to stay.
These patterns hold across regions, roels, and demographics
Gender, age, and national origin do not significantly change the factors that influence staying.
These findings suggest that executive retention should be understood less as a question of keeping executives from leaving and more as creating organizational conditions that make staying the better career decision.
These ideas also inform my advisory work with organizations.