Fractional Chief executive officer services · Managing director

Fractional CEO Services · Fractional Managing Director Services

Q: How much do fractional CEO services cost?

FD Capital 2026 publishes a UK fractional CEO day rate of £800–£1,500. The total depends on the days committed each week. Fractional Quest publishes no fees of its own; each candidate on our shortlist states their rate.

Fractional CEO services put a fractional chief executive officer into your business on a standing weekly commitment.

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

This page sets out what the service covers, when fractional is the right shape, what the market publishes on rates, and how we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

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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

Days a week, ongoing

Commitment

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire a fractional CEO

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Fractional 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 fractional CEO services cover

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.

The service covers 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.

If you are weighing the options, the same seat is also bought as interim CEO services, part-time CEO services, or permanent CEO search.

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

What is in scope — and what is not

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.

Not in scope

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

The CEO remains accountable for the whole.

CEO or a neighbouring seat?

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

The scoping test: write down the three decisions you need the CEO to own in the next ninety days. If you cannot, you are not ready to brief.

03/ the week

How a week divides.

Part of a week is the point of the model: the days you buy are yours, the rest of the week goes to other clients. Move the days a week and the week redraws.

Days a week for your company2 days

Your companyAnother clientA third client

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Illustration only: one way a fractional CEO’s week can divide at 2 days a week for you. Each block is half a day.

04/ 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

05/ 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. A fractional engagement is priced on the day rate times the days committed each week.

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)

06/ 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

07/ timing

When fractional CEO services are the right call

Three situations where the fractional shape beats the alternatives.

Scenario 01

Before full-time

CEO judgement, not CEO hours

You need someone to own company strategy and priorities and building and leading the executive team, but the work does not fill five days a week yet.

Scenario 02

Signals

The trigger has arrived

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

Scenario 03

Alongside a team

Senior direction for a capable team

The team can deliver; it needs someone senior to set direction on the board, shareholders and investor relationships and hold the standard.

08/ vetting

How we vet the shortlist

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

01
Qualification screen
Verify Fractional 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

09/ how it runs

How a fractional CEO engagement runs from brief to hand-over

Brief.

You tell us the scope, the days each week and the start date, and what success looks like in the first ninety days.

A clear brief names the decisions the CEO will own.

Shortlist.

We come back with 3–5 fractional chief executive officers against the brief, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.

Cadence.

A fractional CEO works best with fixed days, a standing slot with the CEO and a seat at the board.

Review the commitment each quarter: days go up before a big moment and down once the machine runs.

Hand-over.

If the seat grows into full-time work, the fractional CEO can help recruit the permanent successor, or convert themselves.

10/ before you sign

Before you buy fractional CEO services three checks

Standing.

Check professional standing and references before you sign: the UK professional body for directors and boards; see the Institute of Directors.

Status.

Agree how the engagement will run in practice, because that decides its IR35 status; HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who makes the status determination.

Scope.

Write down what is out of scope.

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

The CEO remains accountable for the whole.

11/ questions

Fractional CEO services FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a fractional CEO.

The CEO seat’s full 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.

FD Capital 2026 publishes a UK fractional CEO day rate of £800–£1,500. The total depends on the days committed each week. Fractional Quest publishes no fees of its own; each candidate on our shortlist states their rate.

An interim CEO works full-time for a fixed term, usually to cover a gap or lead a change. A fractional CEO works a standing number of days each week, often for several clients, for as long as the business needs it.

A founder stepping back, a board-led succession, a business needing turnaround leadership, or a portfolio company whose plan is off track. Fractional is the right shape when the seat needs senior judgement every week but not every day.

It depends on how the engagement runs in practice — control, substitution and whether the CEO is part and parcel of your organisation. For medium and large private-sector clients, the client makes the status determination. Each candidate on our shortlist states their IR35 position.

You brief us on the scope, the days and the start date. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5 fractional chief executive officers, each with day rate or salary, 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