March 24, 2026

A Fascinating Q&A with Shu Li, Scientist, Entrepreneur, and InterimExecs Client

Eliana Jordan |

Shu Li is a scientist, professor, Fortune 50 senior executive, serial entrepreneur, and InterimExecs client. He has founded or co-founded multiple enterprises in the healthcare, biomedical, and semiconductor sectors such as Jazz Semiconductor, Huohong, NEC, Cellular BioMedicine Group, WA Health Centers, Helio Genomics, and Laboratory for Advanced Medicine & Health, and has served in key positions in Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 companies, including Intel, Motorola, AlliedSignal/Honeywell, and Conexant Systems. He also holds numerous patents, is published in top scientific journals, and co-authored four books on human longevity.

He sits down with InterimExecs to share his journey.

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March 18, 2026

The Growing Strain in Private Credit and How Private Equity Can Survive and Thrive

A quiet but significant shift is underway in private capital markets. The private credit boom that fueled rapid dealmaking over the past decade is now colliding with higher interest rates, slower exits, and investor liquidity pressure. For private equity firms already holding portfolio companies longer than planned, the implications are real: improving operational performance is no longer optional; it is the primary path to preserving value.

What once felt like a reliable financial engine is becoming more complicated. And the firms that adapt fastest will likely come out ahead.

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March 10, 2026

Our Top 5 Movie Picks for CFOs. Do You Agree?

It’s Academy Awards season. Let’s look at the best movies for CFOs…none of which are current nominees, but hey, great excuse for our community to talk about the most badass movie for finance and accounting folks, ever:

#5. The Bridge on the River Kwai, starring Alec Guinness

No, this is not the badass movie – you gotta read down to #1. We’re starting with a classic Hollywood movie. You ask why? Because, my lovely financial and accounting and audit experts, you would never let meticulous get in the way of accountability, of what’s right. Just because you can build something – in this case, planning, designing and constructing a bridge for the enemy – doesn’t mean you should. Or then defend it. When meticulous is not paired with integrity, you just get obsession.

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February 2, 2026

Stop Firing People. Your Business Strategy Is the Real Problem

Walter Simson | Interim CEO

Corporate distress is so common, sometimes we don’t even notice it.

Twenty percent of companies fail in their first year. Sixty-five percent fail within 10 years. After 20 years, nearly 80 percent have disappeared.

Yet these statistics also reveal that decline is not at all inevitable. What separates the survivors from the casualties?

The difference lies in how they think about their core business.

This isn’t intuitive, or popular. When companies get into trouble, the reflex is frequently to attack the symptoms: costs.

Fire the receptionist.

Cancel the office perks.

Reduce headcount.

But this approach rarely works, because cutting expenses isn’t usually the way to fix a failing business.

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January 29, 2026

How PE Funds Use Interim CFOs to Drive Value in Middle-Market Portfolio Companies

In the fast-moving world of private equity, middle-market portfolio companies face unique challenges: rapid growth, complex transactions, and tight timelines. For PE firms, ensuring leadership that can drive value immediately is critical to maximizing returns. That’s why more firms are turning to interim CFOs. These experienced executives provide immediate financial leadership, operational expertise, and strategic guidance.

At InterimExecs, we’ve helped PE firms across industries place the right interim CFOs to accelerate growth and unlock value in their portfolio companies. Here’s how.

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January 16, 2026

Why Interim Leadership Isn’t Executive Search and Why the Fundamental Differences Matter

Robert Jordan | CEO, InterimExecs

I just got off the phone with one of our RED Team interim executives, a seasoned operator currently parachuted into a portfolio company owned by a rookie private equity fund. He was brought in to mentor the heir apparent to take over the CEO seat.

Instead, he’s now cleaning up messes no one knew existed.

Very quickly after arriving, our interim executive realized the heir apparent wasn’t just struggling; he was fundamentally incompetent. Then the signs got darker: showing up smelling of alcohol. And then, the final line crossed; groping a young female colleague at a trade show.

Our interim executive had to interview the young woman, then fire the heir apparent.

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January 12, 2026

Family Office Costs Rising? Why an Interim Executive Can Be the Answer in Uncertain Times

Family offices exist to protect, grow, and steward wealth across generations. At their best, they provide clarity, alignment, and disciplined decision-making for complex financial and personal priorities. Yet in today’s environment of economic uncertainty, regulatory pressure, and volatile markets, many high-net-worth families are asking a difficult question:

Is our family office costing more to run than it should?

Concerns about family office management costs are no longer hypothetical; they are becoming a central issue for families seeking operational efficiency, accountability, and flexibility without compromising discretion or quality.

Increasingly, the solution is not a permanent hire, but interim executive leadership for family offices. It’s not just about the permanent nature of, well, hiring permanently, with all of its burdens – it’s that interim is a powerful way to outsource while still keeping control.

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January 12, 2026

Family Office Board Discussion Guide: Evaluating the Need for New Leadership

This guide is designed to help family office boards, family councils, and trustees conduct a structured, productive discussion about whether new leadership could add value to the organization. It is not intended to presuppose a solution, but to create clarity, alignment, and disciplined decision-making.

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January 12, 2026

8 Questions to Ask to Decide Whether Your Family Office Would Benefit from Interim, Long Term Fractional, or Outsourced Leadership

When families begin to question whether their office is operating as effectively as it should, the challenge is rarely a lack of commitment — it’s a lack of perspective. The eight questions below are designed to prompt an objective review of leadership effectiveness, cost alignment, and governance clarity, and to help determine whether temporary leadership support could be valuable without forcing permanent decisions.

1. Are rising family office costs clearly tied to measurable value?

 If operating expenses have increased but performance, transparency, or peace of mind have not improved proportionally, it may be time for an objective operational review by an interim executive. The right ongoing answer might be a fractional executive so you can get all of the firepower of an experienced leader at far lower cost.

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January 7, 2026

Using AI Without Exposing Your Crown Jewels: A Practical Guide for C-Suite Leaders

Artificial intelligence has moved from “interesting experiment” to “board-level priority” with remarkable speed. Most CEOs and executive teams now believe AI can materially improve efficiency, decision-making, and growth. At the same time, many share a quieter concern:

How do we use AI safely so we don’t put our most sensitive data, IP, and competitive advantage at risk?

The good news is that companies can unlock real value from AI without putting proprietary information at risk — and they can do so without rushing into a costly, permanent hire before they’re ready.

Here’s how.

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