The answer to the life, universe and everything may have been 42 (according to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams), but the vital statistics for the perfect FTSE 100 boss is 43.

New research by financial website The Motley Fool (Fool.co.uk) looked into an analysis of the ages, length of service and share price performances of CEOs of FTSE 100 companies.

Results show that Britain’s best bosses peak at the age of 57 and only makes a difference after five years. The optimum results for any CEO are achieved after 14 years, so by deducting 14 from the peak performance age of 57, the perfect age for someone to join as a CEO is 43.

We can hear the clik-clak of calculators as employees round the country start seeing whether their person at the top has achieved these vital stats yet. Or maybe they’ve peaked too soon.