It's been a record-breaking year for CEO departures. Here are the 26 most dramatic exits.

Tomas Bravo/Reuters

Former Metlife CEO Steven Kandarian is one of the 1,160 CEOs to step down so far in 2019.

• During the first three quarters of 2019, 1,160 CEOs have left their positions, according to staffing firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas.
• This number exceeds the number of CEOs who departed during the same nine-month span at the height of the 2008 recession (which saw 1,132 CEOs departures).
• The tech sector has seen the second-highest number of CEO departures, with 154 executives in that industry leaving their positions.
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Over 1,000 CEOs have stepped down during the first three quarters of 2019, according to a report published by staffing firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas - 1,160 executives, to be exact.

Departures within the first nine months of this year have already exceeded the number of CEOs who stepped down during the first three quarters of 2008 (1,132 CEOs), during the height of the recession. This is also the year with the highest CEO turnover in the first three quarters that Challenger, Gray, and Christmas has seen since the firm began tracking departures in 2002.

The tech sector has the second-highest number of CEO departures at 154 executives - including the high-profile departures of Adam Neumann from WeWork and Kevin Burns from Juul.

Of the 1,160 CEOs who left their positions, 438 remained at their respective companies in different roles, 292 retired, and 103 moved to other companies, according to the report.

Here are the 26 most noteworthy CEO departures of 2019 (so far):