John Clare’s resignation as chief executive of DSG International highlights a growing trend that is seeing some of the City’s biggest names make way for a new generation in the boardroom.

The average age of a FTSE 100 chief executive today is 52, nine months younger than five years ago, as attitudes towards younger bosses modernise and competition for talent intensifies.

Five chief executives are aged 40 or younger, including Andy Hornby, head of HBOS, one of the UK’s biggest banks.

BHP Billiton, the world’s largest miner, yesterday announced that 44-year old Marius Kloppers will take over as chief in October.

He replaces Chip Goodyear who, despite only being 49, said the time was right for the “organisation to transition to the next generation of leadership”.

Sarah Wilson, of corporate governance agency Manifest, said, “The pool of talent is getting wider but it’s getting younger as well, and people are realising that young people have as much to offer.”

Ms Wilson said there was also anecdotal evidence to show that nonexecutive directors are also getting younger, while the pool of nonexecutives to pick from is also deepening.

“The demands of the job are such now that people limit the number of jobs they want to take up,” she said.

However, there have been notable exceptions to this trend, including Stuart Rose, who was named chief executive of Marks & Spencer in 2004 at the age of 55.

Despite the advances made by the young guard into the top 100 FTSE companies, the index is still dominated by men, with Dame Marjorie Scardino of Pearson, Cynthia Carroll of Anglo American and Dorothy Thompson of Drax as the sole representatives of their sex.

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