Loading...
Loading...
Hire an Interim CEO for full-time temporary executive leadership. Expert CEOs for turnarounds, founder transitions, crisis management, and pre-exit preparation.
Interim CEO services provide boards with immediate access to experienced Chief Executives for full-time temporary leadership. These are not consultants or advisors—they are operational executives who take complete accountability for leading your organisation during critical periods.
Interim CEO services are typically used when boards need leadership faster than permanent recruitment allows, when the situation requires specific transformation or turnaround expertise, or when the organisation needs objective leadership without long-term commitment during a transition period.
"Interim CEO services deliver board-ready executive leadership within days. When your CEO has departed, your turnaround is urgent, or your founder is stepping back—interim services provide the leadership you need without the 3-6 month wait for permanent recruitment."
Permanent CEO recruitment takes 3-6 months and carries significant risk of mis-hire. Interim CEO services provide experienced leadership immediately while giving boards time to make the right permanent decision. The interim CEO stabilises the organisation, maintains investor confidence, and often helps define the permanent CEO specification based on operational reality.
For turnaround and transformation situations, interim CEO services provide specialists who have successfully navigated similar challenges multiple times. Their track record, objectivity, and predetermined exit make them ideal for high-stakes situations where permanent executives may lack experience or be too invested in the status quo.
Stabilise distressed businesses, implement recovery plans, restore stakeholder confidence
Professional management transition when founders step back or exit
Navigate urgent situations: regulatory, reputational, financial, or operational crises
Maintain momentum while board conducts permanent CEO search
Professionalise operations and maximise valuation before sale or IPO
Chair board meetings, manage investors, maintain regulatory compliance
Flexible options to match your situation and timeline
Immediate stabilisation, cash management, stakeholder communication
Urgent turnarounds, sudden departures
Strategic restructuring, operational improvement, culture change
Business transformation, founder exits
Professionalisation, governance, valuation maximisation
PE portfolio, sale preparation, IPO readiness
Transparent pricing for full-time temporary CEO leadership
SME / Early-Stage (£1m-£10m revenue)
Smaller companies, often founder-led transitions
£2,000-£2,500/day
Mid-Market (£10m-£50m revenue)
Established businesses, complex stakeholder environments
£2,500-£3,000/day
Large / PE-Backed (£50m+ revenue)
Corporate turnarounds, PE portfolio companies
£3,000-£3,500+/day
Interim CEOs command premium day rates because of the total accountability they assume, the 24/7 availability expected, the board-level experience required, and the immediate impact demanded. A poor CEO hire—even temporary—can destroy significant shareholder value. Premium rates reflect the expertise, risk, and rapid deployment capability.
Specialist interim CEO services for healthcare and NHS trusts
Healthcare organisations face unique challenges requiring specialist interim CEO leadership. From NHS trusts to private hospitals, our interim hospital CEOs understand healthcare governance, regulatory requirements, and the complex stakeholder environment.
Our interim healthcare CEOs bring deep sector experience, regulatory knowledge, and the crisis management skills essential for healthcare leadership transitions. Explore NHS interim opportunities →
| Feature | Interim CEO | Fractional CEO | Full-Time CEO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Full-time (temporary) | 1-3 days/week | Full-time (permanent) |
| Duration | 3-12 months | Ongoing (6+ months typical) | Permanent |
| Cost | £8,000-£12,000/week | £3,000-£6,000/week | £150,000-£250,000/year + benefits |
| Focus | Gap-fill or transformation | Strategic + operational | All responsibilities |
| Flexibility | Fixed term contract | Scale up/down as needed | Limited flexibility |
| Best For | Leadership gaps, major transitions | Growing companies, specific expertise needs | Large orgs with full-time need |
From brief to CEO on-site in 5-10 business days
Tell us about your needs, timeline, and what you're looking for in an interim executive for your 3-12 month assignment.
We curate a shortlist of pre-vetted interim executives available for full-time temporary assignments.
Interview your top candidates. We handle scheduling and ensure they can start within your timeframe.
Your interim executive begins full-time within days. We support onboarding and contract management throughout.
Tell us about your needs, timeline, and what you're looking for in an interim executive for your 3-12 month assignment.
We curate a shortlist of pre-vetted interim executives available for full-time temporary assignments.
Interview your top candidates. We handle scheduling and ensure they can start within your timeframe.
Your interim executive begins full-time within days. We support onboarding and contract management throughout.
Browse interim executive leadership roles we're currently recruiting for
Be the first to know about new interim CEO opportunities. We'll send you relevant executive leadership roles as they become available.
New interim CEO roles delivered to your inbox.
Interim CEO services provide full-time temporary Chief Executive leadership for organisations during critical transitions. Unlike permanent recruitment, interim CEO services deploy experienced executives within 1-2 weeks for defined periods (typically 3-12 months) to lead through turnarounds, founder exits, crisis situations, or succession gaps.
Interim CEO day rates in the UK range from £2,000-£3,500 depending on company size and complexity. For a 6-month engagement (120 days), expect £240,000-£420,000. This is premium pricing but includes immediate availability, crisis expertise, and no long-term salary or severance obligations.
Boards typically use interim CEO services for: sudden CEO departure requiring immediate leadership, turnaround situations requiring specialist expertise, founder stepping back needing professional management transition, M&A requiring dedicated integration leadership, or pre-exit preparation needing operational professionalisation.
Interim CEO services can typically deploy an experienced executive within 5-10 business days. Unlike permanent CEO recruitment (which takes 3-6 months), interim CEOs are immediately available because they work on temporary assignments by design. Board approval and due diligence can be completed in parallel.
Executive search finds permanent CEOs for long-term employment. Interim CEO services provide temporary leadership for defined situations with predetermined end dates. Interim CEOs bring crisis and transformation expertise, start immediately, and exit cleanly. They complement executive search when you need leadership NOW while searching for permanent.
Most interim CEO engagements are day-rate only, without equity or bonus. This maintains objectivity and clean exit. However, turnaround or pre-exit situations sometimes include success fees (5-15% of engagement value) tied to measurable outcomes like sale completion or financial targets.
Tell us about your situation—turnaround, founder transition, or succession gap—and we'll match you with experienced interim CEOs who have led through similar challenges.