Verity (PMOS UK)SyndicatedInterim
Interim Chief Executive Officer (Women's Health Charity)Chief executive officer recruitment agency · Managing Director · fractional, interim, part-time, permanent
CEO Recruitment Agency · Managing Director Recruitment Agency
A CEO recruitment agency for every shape of the seat: Fractional Quest recruits fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent chief executive officers (managing directors). The CEO leads the business: strategy, the leadership team, the board and investors, and the culture that holds it together.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 23 October 2026 · 6 sources linked below
- £800–£1,500fractional day rate
- 3–5our shortlist
Fractional seats our founder has held
Climatise
One Up Productions
CK Delta
In the press
- Financial TimesThe executives going ‘fractional’, not freelance
- International FinanceRenting the C-suite, and why the fractional executive era has arrived
The agency
What a CEO recruitment agency should find for you
Brief us on the scope, the engagement and the start date. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out. The board below shows current CEO roles, labelled by engagement.
The CEO leads the business: strategy, the leadership team, the board and investors, and the culture that holds it together. A good CEO recruitment agency recruits for that scope, not for the title: company strategy and priorities, building and leading the executive team, the board, shareholders and investor relationships, and capital allocation and major decisions and culture, values and external reputation.
We recruit the seat in every shape. A fractional CEO leads strategy, the leadership team and the board on a standing commitment, typically for smaller businesses, family firms or owners preparing to step back. A part-time CEO or managing director works set days each week, suited to small businesses, social enterprises and subsidiaries that need a leader but not a full-time one. A permanent CEO is right for any business whose board wants a long-term leader to own its strategy and culture.
The seat in more depth: CEO services · fractional CEO services · interim CEO services · part-time CEO services · CEO recruitment · current CEO roles · what a CEO does.
On the board · last 90 days
Current CEO roles on the board
From our jobs feed. Where a posting states no rate, “est” is our estimate from the seat’s published band; ◆ marks days a week the posting states.
10 of 10 roles
Function
Engagement
- NationwideSyndicatedContractHead of Internal Communications
- Marie CurieSyndicatedInterimInterim Head of Edinburgh Hospice Transformation
- Estée Lauder CompaniesSyndicatedContractEstee Lauder - Counter Lead - Boots Battersea - 4 days per week - 1 year contract
- E.ON NextSyndicatedContractHead of Growth Delivery
- AND DigitalSyndicatedContractPlatform Security & Compliance Lead (Contract)
- MotorwaySyndicatedInterimInterim Head of Financial Control (3-6 month contract)
- Scottish GovernmentSyndicatedInterimEOI - TP - Director of Internal Audit and Assurance
- Lloyd'sSyndicatedTemporaryChief of Staff to the Chief Commercial Officer / CEO Lloyd's Americas - 12 Month FTC
- Marks & SpencerSyndicatedContractHead of Finance Controllership - 18 Month Fixed Term Contract
Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.
Three seats
What does a fractional seat look like in practice?
Three fractional seats our founder has held. Real companies, named with their permission; we state only what the seat covered.
Fractional seats our founder has held
ClimatiseFractional · go-to-marketA carbon-reporting software company that needed go-to-market leadership before a full-time hire.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market lead
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
One Up ProductionsFractional · go-to-marketA production company that needed both the go-to-market strategy and its execution.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market: strategy and execution
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
CK DeltaFractional · technologyTechnology work: tech stack implementation.
- Seat
- Fractional technology lead
These are seats our founder has held, not placements.
The scope
What we assess — and what we do not confuse it with
Assessed against the brief. Company strategy and priorities; building and leading the executive team; the board, shareholders and investor relationships; capital allocation and major decisions; culture, values and external reputation.
Out of scope. Day-to-day operations can be delegated to a COO; finance to a CFO. The CEO remains accountable for the whole.
The neighbouring seats. The CEO decides where the business goes; the COO makes it run; the chair leads the board that holds the CEO to account.
When companies come to a CEO recruitment agency: A founder stepping back, a board-led succession, a business needing turnaround leadership, or a portfolio company whose plan is off track.
The process
How does a brief become a shortlist?
Six steps, one accountable person at each. We don’t promise a shortlist by a date; the weeks below are what a well-scoped brief usually takes.
- Day 001The 15-minute callThe seat, the engagement shape, the days or hours, the start date and the budget. No account needed; a call or a written brief.You and us
- Week 102Scope agreed in writingThe outcome the seat exists for, which days, and how the engagement will run for IR35. A brief that describes a person rather than a job, we rewrite with you.Us
- Weeks 1–203Search and approachWe approach people who aren’t looking and verify prior tenure in the seat at your scale and stage.Us
- Weeks 2–304References, taken by usFrom recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.Us
- Week 305Shortlist of three to fiveEach with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out. You interview and decide.You
- Week 406Kick-offScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.You, them and us
What it costs
CEO rates what the published benchmarks say
Every figure is the named source’s own published band. Fractional Quest publishes no fees: each candidate on a shortlist states their own rate.
| Benchmark | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional CEO day rate | £800–£1,500 | FD Capital 2026 |
| Interim CEO day rate | £1,000–£1,800 | Exec Capital 2026 |
| Permanent CEO salary (SME base band) | £120,000–£250,000 | Exec Capital 2026 (UK SME) |
Your figures
What does part of a CEO’s week cost?
Rate × days × weeks, against a loaded full-time package. Move the sliders; the numbers redraw.
- CEO band £800–£1,500 (FD Capital 2026)
Year-one cost, fractional
£105,800
Fractional costs less in year one by£31,450
Our arithmetic. £120,000 Exec Capital 2026 (UK SME) lower-quartile salary + employer NI at 15% above £5,000 (HMRC) = £137,250. Excludes pension, bonus and any search fee.
Against the alternatives
Recruitment agency, headhunter or job board
Four ways to fill a CEO seat, on the dimensions that decide between them.
| Recruitment agency (us) | Retained headhunter | Job board | Your own network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | A shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position | A retained search for one permanent appointment | Applications, unfiltered | Whoever you already know |
| Engagements | Fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent | Permanent, sometimes interim | Mostly permanent | Whatever they will agree to |
| Assessment | Five-stage vetting against your brief | Deep assessment of a long list | None | Your own judgement |
| Best when | You want options across engagement shapes, quickly briefed | A confidential permanent search at the top of the market | A well-known role with many applicants | You have the right person already |
| Commercials | Agreed in writing per engagement | Retainer, typically in stages | A listing fee | Your time |
The decision
Which CEO engagement to brief us for
Match the shape to the work, not the title.
- Weekly judgementFractional CEOA fractional CEO leads strategy, the leadership team and the board on a standing commitment, typically for smaller businesses, family firms or owners preparing to step back.
- Now, full-timeInterim CEOAn unplanned departure needs steady leadership. An interim CEO stabilises the business while the board searches.
- For yearsPermanent CEOA permanent CEO is right for any business whose board wants a long-term leader to own its strategy and culture.
Vetting
How do we vet a CEO?
Five stages before anyone reaches a shortlist of three to five.
- Pedigree screenTenureWe verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
- Mandate fitFitFit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
- Reference deep-diveVerifyWe take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
- ShortlistShortlistThree to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- Kick-offStartScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.
The full process is on how we vet.
how the search runs
How our CEO recruitment agency works from brief to start date
Brief. A scoping call on the seat, the engagement shape, the days or hours, the start date and what success looks like in the first ninety days. The brief names the decisions the CEO will own.
Search and assessment. We search the market for your brief, then assess against the brief through our five-stage vetting: qualification, mandate fit, reference deep-dive, shortlist and analysis, kick-off.
Shortlist. 3–5 chief executive officers, each with day rate or salary expectation, availability and IR35 position set out, so you compare like with like.
Interviews and start. You meet the shortlist; we handle the offer, references and the contract shape. Start dates depend on each candidate’s availability — fractional and interim executives hold a portfolio, so a start date is agreed rather than immediate.
choosing an agency
Choosing a CEO recruitment agency four questions to ask
Do they recruit every shape? Many recruiters place permanent CEOs only, or interim only. If you are not yet sure whether the seat is fractional, interim, part-time or permanent, choose an agency that recruits all four and let the brief decide.
Do they assess the scope? Ask what the agency tests for. For the CEO seat that is company strategy and priorities and building and leading the executive team, not a CV keyword match.
Do they check standing? The UK professional body for directors and boards; see the Institute of Directors.
Do they set out IR35? For a fractional or interim CEO, each candidate’s IR35 position should be on the shortlist, and the engagement written to match how it will actually run — HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who determines status.
The right route
Agency, recruiter, interim or permanent?
Three taps. Say how much senior work there is, for how long, and whether it is one leader or a run of hires; the tool names the route.
The route · Fractional recruiter
An embedded fractional recruiter.
A hiring plan to work through below the leadership team is a talent-acquisition job: a recruiter inside your business for part of the week, paid for their time. We don’t supply them; the page below explains the role.
The route · Non-executive director
A non-executive director.
Independent oversight and constructive challenge, not executive direction. We recruit NEDs through the same brief process.
The route · Advisor
An advisor, not yet a seat.
Less than a day a week of senior input is advisory. Buy it as a scoped engagement; when it grows into a day or more, brief us for a fractional executive.
The route · Interim
An interim executive.
Four or five days for a fixed period is interim: cover for a departure, a turnaround or a transaction. The IIM puts the UK average at £907 a day and ten months.
The route · Permanent
A permanent search.
Four or five days of work, ongoing, is a full-time seat. We recruit permanent executives through the same brief process.
The route · Fractional executive
Brief a fractional recruitment agency.
Senior judgement for part of the week: a fractional CFO, CTO, CMO or COO on one to three days. We come back with a shortlist of three to five, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
We recruit executives. We don’t supply embedded fractional recruiters; where that is the right route, the tool says so.
Clients
What do companies say about our fractional work?
From a company where our founder has held a fractional seat. Name and logo given with the client’s permission.
“Excellent fractional support for building both our go-to-market strategy and our execution.”
Charlie AndersonDirector, One Up ProductionsWhere we are
Where is Fractional Quest?
Where we are
71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ
Fractional Quest Ltd, registered in England and Wales, no. 17322105. This is our registered office; meetings are by appointment, and most briefs start on a 15-minute call.
Questions
CEO recruitment agency questions, answered
It finds and assesses chief executive officers for your brief. Fractional Quest recruits CEOs on fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent engagements (the seat is also hired as managing director): you brief us on scope, engagement and start date, and we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.
Our fees are agreed with each client in writing per engagement, so there is no figure on this site. What we can show is what the market publishes on pay: Fractional CEO day rate £800–£1,500 (FD Capital 2026); Interim CEO day rate £1,000–£1,800 (Exec Capital 2026); Permanent CEO salary (SME base band) £120,000–£250,000 (Exec Capital 2026 (UK SME)).
Fractional when you need CEO judgement every week but not every day; interim when you need full-time cover or a change led now; part-time when the load is steady and you want the same person long term; permanent when the seat is full-time work for years. The CEO decides where the business goes; the COO makes it run; the chair leads the board that holds the CEO to account.
Yes. We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives and non-executive directors. A permanent CEO is right for any business whose board wants a long-term leader to own its strategy and culture.
The seat’s real scope: company strategy and priorities; building and leading the executive team; the board, shareholders and investor relationships; capital allocation and major decisions; culture, values and external reputation. We also check what is out of scope, because day-to-day operations can be delegated to a COO; finance to a CFO. The CEO remains accountable for the whole.
A permanent or part-time employee is on your payroll, so IR35 does not arise. A fractional or interim CEO working through their own company falls under the off-payroll rules: for medium and large private-sector clients, the client makes the status determination. Every candidate on our shortlist states their IR35 position.
Sources
Where does every figure on this page come from?
The primary publisher for each number, linked. Where a figure is our own arithmetic, the page says so where it appears.
- FD Capital
- Exec Capital
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1How much does a CFO earn? 2026 FD CapitalFractional CFO £700–£1,400 a day; London premium of 15–20%.
- 2Salary guides UK 2026 Exec Capital
- 3Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 4Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRCEmployer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
- 5
- 6Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.
