Chief executive officer services · Managing director · fractional, interim, part-time, permanent

CEO Services · fractional, interim, part-time and permanent

CEO services come in four shapes: fractional, interim, part-time and permanent.

The CEO leads the business: strategy, the leadership team, the board and investors, and the culture that holds it together.

This hub sets out what the seat covers, which shape fits which situation, and what the market publishes on rates.

Each route has its own page; every brief gets a shortlist of 3–5 with rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

Submit a brief → →

How a brief runswhat we undertake

01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief

Shortlist3–5

£800–£1,500

Fractional day rate · FD Capital 2026

£1,000–£1,800

Interim day rate · Exec Capital 2026

£120,000–£250,000

Permanent salary · Exec Capital 2026 (UK SME)

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire a CEO

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with CEO Services candidates, their day rates and availability.

0115 minutes, video or phone
02We scope the role and the days a week
03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs

Prefer email? Use the booking page →

Pick a day that suits · live availability

Open the booking calendar →

01/ the role

What CEO services cover

The CEO leads the business: strategy, the leadership team, the board and investors, and the culture that holds it together.

In 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.

Day-to-day operations can be delegated to a COO; finance to a CFO.

The CEO remains accountable for the whole.

What the seat does day to day is set out in the CEO role explained; executives looking for this work can see current CEO roles.

02/ scope

Four ways to buy the CEO seat

Fractional CEO services

A fractional CEO holds the CEO seat on a standing weekly commitment, usually alongside a small number of other clients, and owns outcomes rather than hours.

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.

Fractional CEO services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Interim CEO services

An interim CEO works full-time for a fixed term to cover a gap, lead a change or see a transaction through, then hands over.

Interim executives are hired for immediate impact: they expect to take decisions from the first week.

Interim CEO services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Part-Time CEO services

A part-time CEO works set days each week for one organisation.

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.

Part-Time CEO services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Permanent CEO

A permanent CEO is right for any business whose board wants a long-term leader to own its strategy and culture.

Our permanent CEO search page covers the process.

03/ the route

Fractional, interim or permanent?

Four taps. The answer names the route for the seat and the page that covers it.

How much of the week does the work fill?

Is there a fixed end or a programme?

Does the seat sit on the board for years?

Is the need now, or can it wait for a search?

The route · Fractional

A fractional CEO services.

The work fills part of the week, so buy the days it needs.

A fractional CEO services holds the seat on agreed days for as long as the seat is needed, and works for other clients on the rest.

The fractional CEO services route Talk it through

04/ rates by stage

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.

BenchmarkPublished figureSource

Fractional CEO day rate£800–£1,500FD Capital 2026

Interim CEO day rate£1,000–£1,800Exec Capital 2026

Permanent CEO salary (SME base band)£120,000–£250,000Exec Capital 2026 (UK SME)

05/ comparison

Four ways to buy a CEO fractional, interim, part-time or permanent

The same CEO seat can be filled four ways. The difference is commitment, contract and how long you need it.

FractionalInterimPart-timePermanent

CommitmentDays a week, ongoingFull-time, fixed termSet days each weekFull-time, open-ended

Usual contractContract for services, often via the executive’s companyDay-rate contract for the mandateOften pro-rata employment; sometimes a contractorEmployment contract

Clients at onceA small portfolioOneOneOne

Best whenYou need CEO judgement every week, not every dayYou need full-time cover or a change led nowYou want the same person on the same days for the long termThe seat is full-time work for years

ExitNotice period, or convert to permanentHand-over at the end of the mandateEmployment noticeResignation or redundancy

06/ timing

Which shape fits your situation

Match the shape to the work, not the title.

Scenario 01

Weekly judgement

Fractional

You need a CEO to own decisions every week, but the work does not fill five days.

A founder stepping back, a board-led succession, a business needing turnaround leadership, or a portfolio company whose plan is off track.

Scenario 02

Now, full-time

Interim

An unplanned departure needs steady leadership.

An interim CEO stabilises the business while the board searches.

Scenario 03

Long term

Part-time or permanent

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.

07/ vetting

How we vet the shortlist

Five stages: qualification, mandate fit, reference deep-dive, shortlist and analysis, kick-off.

01
Qualification screen
Verify CEO Services tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING
02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING
03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY
04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5

08/ before you brief

Before you buy CEO services what to decide first

The decisions.

Write down the three decisions the CEO will own in the next ninety days.

That list decides the shape: weekly decisions point to fractional, a time-bound programme to interim, a steady load to part-time.

The neighbours.

The CEO decides where the business goes; the COO makes it run; the chair leads the board that holds the CEO to account.

The checks.

The UK professional body for directors and boards: see the Institute of Directors.

For a contractor engagement, agree how it will run in practice, because that decides IR35 status; HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who makes the determination.

09/ questions

CEO services FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a CEO.

Ways of filling the CEO seat without, or before, a permanent hire: fractional (days a week, ongoing), interim (full-time, fixed term) and part-time (set days, one employer), alongside a permanent search. The CEO leads the business: strategy, the leadership team, the board and investors, and the culture that holds it together.

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.

Published UK bands: 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 Quest publishes no fees; each candidate on a shortlist states their rate.

Day-to-day operations can be delegated to a COO; finance to a CFO. The CEO remains accountable for the whole.

You brief us on scope, shape and start date. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.

Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5

Bring the brief. We architect the team.

A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.

Book a call →Submit a brief