A new generation of younger chief executives are making their mark in the business world and overwhelmingly they are coming from China, according to a study of the top-50 young performers conducted by Cass Business School, London.

The study found that young Chinese CEOs occupy eight of the top ten positions and hold 36 of the top 50 places.

The research discovered that the average age of a CEO across the world is 55 and the most common is 58. Only 24 out of 494 CEOs are 45 or under, that is less than 5% and some way behind the UK, for example, at 10%.

It also found that just 16 out of 1,452 companies included in the research had a female CEO and only one was aged under 45.