Interim executive

An interim executive takes a vacant leadership seat with full attention for a defined period, usually three to nine months, and leaves when a permanent hire is in place. Unlike a fractional executive, who is part time and ongoing, an interim has an end date from the start. Their job is to stabilise the function, fix what is urgent, define what the permanent role should be and hand over cleanly.

Companies in British Columbia use interims when a general manager resigns, an operations lead goes on long leave or an acquisition closes with the seller leaving. A search for a permanent leader can take months and the seat cannot wait. An interim also has an advantage a permanent hire does not: no interest in keeping the job, which makes honest assessment and unpopular fixes easier.

In practice an interim engagement begins with a brief on the seat and the situation, a start within weeks, a thirty day stabilisation focused on people, customers and cash, and then improvement and documentation. The interim's experience of actually doing the job informs the description of the permanent seat, which is often different from the old one. Ali Sedighi takes CMO and CTO interim seats personally, and senior specialists from his team take operations, general management and finance seats, the last alongside the company's CPA. Pricing follows the Fractional Executive band, $25K to $60K per month, with a defined handover.