Of course it will be difficult for any Dir to go out into an industry and want to get a SVP or higher position. But once you've already reached the Dir position, why would you want to go out?? I seriously doubt they can find an job out there, with the same work life balance, authority, and pay. Sure there are jobs which definitely pay more, or come with more authority, but I doubt it comes with the same work life balance. Even if they do, the position's definitely out of their league.

In summary, there seem to be more executives who wish to join CS at Dir position, then Directors in CS who want to get out in pte. Much as all those high level executives in the pte who thinks they are more than qualified to join as Dir in CS, it is not that simple. Their experience and achievements probably qualify. But making policies that affect a nation is a totally different story, where dollars and cents ain't the only factor in an equation. Having no experience in that makes it one of the reasons why they cannot join CS, not unless they are willing to take severe pay cut and come in at a lower level.