The influence of CEO age, gender, and education level on corporate risk-taking

In this paper I investigate the influence of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) age, gender, and education level on corporate risk-taking for a sample of 145 companies that are listed on the Brussels and Amsterdam stock exchange. Corporate risk-taking is measured by using the annualised standard deviation of stock returns, also known as stock volatility. In this paper I find that younger CEOs and those with postgraduate qualifications are associated with higher levels of corporate risk-taking. Furthermore, I find inconclusive results with regards to the relationship between the presence of a female CEO and the level of corporate risk-taking.