Executive Search
Interim management firm
A leader leaves, a transformation project starts, a funding round calls for a proper finance or HR function: within days, we introduce hands-on interim managers who can take the helm from the first week.
More than 200 companies have hired their leadership and executive team with Licorne Society.
Definition
Interim management and fractional leadership: the key definitions
Interim management means entrusting a leadership role to an external executive, for a limited time and a clear objective. An interim manager is not a consultant who makes recommendations: they take the job, lead the teams and are accountable for results.
- The practice
Interim management
A fixed-term assignment, often from a few months to a year, with a roadmap written from day one: covering a vacancy, driving change, turning a situation around.
- The executive
The interim manager
A seasoned leader, often a former member of an executive or management committee, who works independently from one assignment to the next. They are overqualified for the role, and that is precisely what makes speed possible.
- The variant
Fractional leadership
The same level of expertise, but a few days a week and over the long run. Suited to companies that do not yet need a full-time executive, as with a fractional HR director.
When should you bring in an interim manager?
Four situations account for most of the requests we receive.
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Replace a leader at short notice
Departure, sick leave, parental leave: the seat cannot stay empty while you hire a permanent replacement. The interim manager ensures continuity, then hands over.
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Drive a transformation
ERP overhaul, cloud migration, getting finance audit-ready: a fixed-term project, led by someone who has done it several times before.
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Build the foundations after a funding round
Investors expect reliable reporting, a payroll that keeps up with growth, systems that scale. The interim manager lays the foundations, then helps choose their successor.
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Lead a turnaround or prepare a deal
Turnaround, post-acquisition integration, preparing a sale: situations where experience matters more than knowing the company.
The criteria
What makes a good interim executive?
The four criteria we assess every interim manager against before introducing them to you.
- Track record
Proven leadership experience
Several years at the head of a department, often as a member of an executive or management committee, with direct reports and measurable results to show.
- Executive committee
- Direct reports
- Sector
Expertise in your market
They know the business models, cycles and constraints of your sector, from SaaS software to fintech and manufacturing. No ramp-up time: they deliver from week one.
- Same challenges
- Same growth stage
- Situations
Comfortable with complexity
Crisis, reorganisation, integration, transformation: they have been through several, and can decide quickly with incomplete information.
- Turnaround
- Integration
- Transformation
- Soft skills
Leadership, adaptability, communication
Within days, they must earn the trust of people they have never met, adapt to an existing culture and report clearly to management and shareholders alike.
- Leadership
- Adaptability
- Communication
How an interim management assignment works
- Step 1
Scoping the assignment
Context, quantified objectives, length, pace (full time or fractional) and expected deliverables. This scoping becomes the manager's mission letter.
- Step 2
Searching our network and the wider market
We draw on our network of independent executives and, if needed, a direct approach to available candidates. Time is the number one constraint: the search starts on the day of scoping.
- Step 3
Qualification
Interviews, references from previous assignments, confirmation of genuine availability. On request, our leadership assessment rounds off the process.
- Step 4
Shortlist
Two to three interim managers introduced within days, each with their take on the assignment and an initial action plan.
- Step 5
Start and follow-up
A first-impressions report in the opening weeks, regular checkpoints, then preparing the exit: handover to a permanent successor if needed.
Testimonials
They trusted the Licorne Society team with their C-level hiring
We worked together on hiring a Managing Director to take over from the founders. A wide selection of profiles right from the start, responsiveness to our feedback, and the right balance between the candidates' interests and ours.
We hired for very complex roles such as our Head of Operations. The team was always there for us, reassured me and introduced us to incredible candidates! Licorne Society puts forward highly qualified profiles that match our needs perfectly. Thanks to them, we have also upskilled by gaining a better understanding of startup profiles.
A strategic executive committee hire, for a role where our last 2 hires had not worked out. We hired our new CPO, who within a few months reorganised the team and delivered tangible results. Our new CPO fully meets what the team and the executive committee expected to grow the company.
The leadership roles we cover on an interim basis
Our assignments focus on the roles where a vacancy is costly, in Tech, Digital and high-growth companies.
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Finance
Interim CFO and finance director: closing, investor reporting, cash management, preparing a funding round or an audit. See our CFO recruitment page.
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Information systems
Interim CIO: migration, ERP overhaul, cybersecurity, taking back control of the IT estate. See our CIO recruitment page and our CTO recruitment page.
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Human resources
Interim or fractional HR director: building the HR function, employee relations, reorganisation. See our fractional HR director page.
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General management
Interim CEO or managing director: interim cover, turnaround, post-acquisition integration, founder succession. See our CEO and general management page.
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Sales
Interim sales director: turning around a sales team, structuring the sales process, restarting a stalled pipeline. See our sales director recruitment page.
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Marketing
Interim marketing director: repositioning, launching a new offer, building out acquisition and growth. See our CMO and marketing director recruitment page.
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Data
Interim CDO to set up data governance and an AI roadmap. See our Chief Data Officer recruitment page.
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Operations
Interim COO and operations directors to secure execution through a growth phase or a reorganisation. See our COO recruitment page.
Interim manager or permanent hire: how to choose
- Time to start
- Permanent executive Several months, notice period included
- Interim management A few days to a few weeks
- Horizon
- Permanent executive Long term, building a team
- Interim management Fixed-term assignment, clear objective
- Profile
- Permanent executive Matched to the role and career path
- Interim management Overqualified, operational immediately
- Commitment
- Permanent executive Employment contract, probation period
- Interim management Service contract, exit planned from the start
- Cost
- Permanent executive Salary and search fees
- Interim management Day rate, only while the assignment lasts
At Licorne Society
Both, one after the other
The two options often go together: an interim manager holds the seat and builds the department, while we run the Executive Search for their permanent successor. The manager takes part in the choice, then handles the handover.
Benefits and limits of interim management
What interim management offers
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Speed
An available executive, no notice period, operational from the first week.
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Experience
Situations already handled elsewhere, and a fresh outside perspective, free from internal habits.
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Flexibility
An assignment that ends when the objective is met, full time or fractional.
Its limits
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The day rate
Higher than the equivalent daily salary, offset by a short assignment and no severance costs.
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Continuity
The manager leaves at the end of the assignment: the handover must be prepared from day one.
How much does an interim manager cost?
An interim manager is paid a day rate, which depends on the role, seniority and complexity of the assignment. As a guide, expect between €800 and €1,500 per day (excluding VAT) in most cases, and up to €3,000 for a CEO role or a turnaround. The total cost then depends on the pace (full time or a few days a week) and the length of the assignment.
Choosing an interim management firm
Five questions to ask before entrusting your interim management recruitment to a firm.
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Knowledge of your sector
A firm that already knows your business can tell which executive will hold up in your context, and which will not.
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A committed timeline
How many days until the first shortlist? For interim roles, this matters more than anything else.
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Verifiable references
Assignments comparable to yours, and managers whose former clients you can call.
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A written assignment framework
Objectives, timeline, pace, deliverables and exit terms, agreed in writing before day one.
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A plan for what comes next
An interim management headhunter who also does Executive Search can find the permanent successor when the assignment ends.
- Discover our Executive Search service