Adecco Executive Chairman John Bowmer has announced he will quit at the end of the month.
The news boosted shares in the staffing group, which is trying to draw a line under accounting problems that have dogged it this year.
In a bid to regain credibility after investors lost billions of dollars as a result of a bookkeeping flap that already cost the jobs of two other executives, Adecco said it would revamp its board of directors, calling in international business executives and a former French finance minister.
"I think Bowmer has to take responsibility for the mess. It is logical and a positive step," said Zuercher Kantonalbank analyst Mr Claude Zehnder.
Adecco's shock announcement of accounting problems related to control and compliance issues centered on its North American operations triggered a share price collapse in January.
Adecco's shares have recovered and the Swiss firm has tried to quash any lingering fears that it would be engulfed by financial scandals like those at Parmalat and Ahold.