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From rivals to allies? CEO connections in an era of common ownership

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  • Hutschenreiter, Dennis
  • Liu, Qianshuo

Abstract

Institutional common ownership of firm pairs in the same industry increases the likelihood of a preexisting social connection among their CEOs. We establish this relationship using a quasi-natural experiment that exploits institutional mergers combined with firms' hiring events and detailed information on CEO biographies. In addition, for peer firms, gaining a CEO connection from a hiring firm's CEO appointment correlates with higher returns on assets, stock market returns, and decreasing product similarity between companies. We find evidence consistent with common owners allocating CEO connections to shape managerial decision-making and increase portfolio firms' performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Hutschenreiter, Dennis & Liu, Qianshuo, 2025. "From rivals to allies? CEO connections in an era of common ownership," IWH Discussion Papers 7/2025, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:iwhdps:319068
    DOI: 10.18717/dpzgx5-7x90
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    CEO appointments; CEO connections; common ownership; firm performance; product similarity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • L21 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Business Objectives of the Firm
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure

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