Interim Chief executive officer services · Managing director
Interim CEO Services · Interim Managing Director Services
Interim CEO services put an interim chief executive officer into your business full-time for a fixed term.
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 interim 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.
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
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to hire an interim CEO
Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Interim 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
Pick a day that suits · live availability
01/ the role
What interim CEO services cover
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.
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 fractional 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 route
Fractional, interim or permanent?
Four taps. The answer names the route for the seat and the page that covers it.
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 route · Interim
An interim CEO services.The work fills the week, and it has an end: a programme, a cover, a transaction.
An interim CEO services takes the seat full time for that stretch and hands it over when it is done.
The route · Interim, then permanent
Interim now, a permanent CEO services after.The seat is full time and long term, and the need is now.
An interim CEO services holds it while the permanent search runs, so the seat is not left empty.
The route · Permanent
A permanent CEO services.A full-time seat that sits at the table for years is a permanent hire.
There is time to run a search, so run one.
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. Interim day rates apply to full-time weeks for the length of the mandate.
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.
06/ timing
When interim CEO services are the right call
Three situations where the interim shape beats the alternatives.
Scenario 01
Succession
An unplanned departure needs steady leadership.
An interim CEO stabilises the business while the board searches.
Scenario 02
Turnaround
An interim CEO with turnaround experience takes the hard decisions the business needs.
Scenario 03
Transaction
An interim CEO leads the business through a sale, restructure or investor-led change.
07/ vetting
How we vet the shortlist
Five stages: qualification, mandate fit, reference deep-dive, shortlist and analysis, kick-off.
- 01
Qualification screen
Verify Interim 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/ how it runs
How an interim CEO engagement runs from brief to hand-over
Brief.
You tell us the scope, the start date and the length of the mandate, 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 interim chief executive officers against the brief, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.
Mandate.
The interim CEO starts with a written mandate and a review point.
Interim executives are judged on the outcome of the mandate, and the good ones plan their hand-over from the first week.
Hand-over.
When the mandate ends the interim CEO hands over to the permanent appointment, often having helped to choose them.
09/ before you sign
Before you buy interim 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.
10/ questions
Interim CEO services FAQ
The questions people ask before bringing in an interim CEO.
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.
