October 1, 2026

What HBR Misses About Interim CEOs: Professional Interim CEOs Drive Real-World Success

What HBR Misses About Interim CEOs: Professional Interim CEOs Drive Real-World Success
Executive Summary

Harvard Business Review’s report on interim CEOs focuses on a narrow category: interim appointments at large public companies. Professional interim CEOs serving private companies, private-equity-backed businesses, family-owned companies, and nonprofits operate differently. They are brought in to solve urgent business problems, lead transformations, and deliver measurable results.

To illustrate the difference, we share six real-world interim CEO success stories from the InterimExecs RED Team, including turnarounds that increased revenue, EBITDA, and cash flow; leadership transformations; successful company sales; and a hospital turnaround completed in just four months.

When Harvard Business Review ran an article looking at research on CEO vacancies at 400 large public companies between 2002 and 2024, it offered some pretty damning statements:

  • Interim appointments are among the most disruptive succession choices.
  • Interim CEOs shift their focus to short-term performance in the hope of being hired permanently.
  • Overall, the companies saw their return on assets decline by 2 to 3% during the interim CEO’s tenure.

While we don’t doubt the veracity of this research as it applies to the small percentage of American companies in the S&P 1500, we take significant umbrage at the sweeping statements that are now being returned in Google results. Here is Google’s AI summary of the article: According to Harvard Business Review, appointing an interim CEO can be disruptive and often hurts financial performance if handled poorly.

While handling something poorly is never a recipe for success, we firmly disagree with this characterization of interim executives.

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April 30, 2026

What is a Fractional Executive? How Part-Time CEOs, CFOs, and COOs Generate Big Impact

What is a Fractional Executive? How Part-Time CEOs, CFOs, and COOs Generate Big Impact
Key Takeaways

Three Reasons Fractional Leadership Continues to Grow

  • A fractional executive is senior leadership without full-time commitment

Fractional executives provide C-suite-level strategy, decision-making, and accountability on a part-time basis aligned to actual business needs.

  • Offers a flexible, lower-risk, lower-cost alternative to full-time hiring


Boards gain experienced leadership while controlling costs, reducing long-term obligations, and maintaining the ability to scale involvement up or down.

  • Built for moments that matter most

Fractional executives are especially effective during growth, transformation, transitions, and periods where targeted expertise delivers outsized impact.

Fractional executives, including fractional CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and CIOs, are the hottest thing in the C-suite. What started as a niche workaround has gone mainstream, with companies from fast-scaling startups to Fortune 500s tapping part-time leaders for big-impact roles.

These aren’t consultants or advisors; they’re deeply embedded executives, delivering high-level strategy, leadership, and results without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

But what exactly is a fractional executive? How is this different from an interim or full-time hire? And when does it make sense to go fractional in the first place?

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April 29, 2026

When to Hire a CFO: 7 Signs Your Company Needs Financial Leadership

When to Hire a CFO: 7 Signs Your Company Needs Financial Leadership
key takeaways

Financial complexity, not a specific revenue number, is the best signal. When leaders cannot confidently forecast cash, assess risk, or connect financial results to business strategy, it is time for CFO-level expertise.

Major events trigger the need. Fundraising, acquisitions, refinancing, rapid expansion, an exit, or a CFO departure may require experienced financial leadership immediately.

CFO support can be scaled to the situation. Fractional CFOs provide ongoing part-time leadership, while interim CFOs take control during urgent transitions, crises, and transformations. Permanent full-time CFOs are the answer when the organization needs full-time, ongoing financial leadership into the foreseeable future.

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Whether you’re running a startup, scaling fast, or facing financial complexity, the question eventually comes up: Is it time to hire a CFO? This guide breaks down when to bring in a full-time, fractional, or interim CFO — and how to know which one is right for your company’s stage.

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April 29, 2026

CFO Resignations Hit Record Highs. Who Will Fill the Role When Your CFO Leaves?

CFO Resignations Hit Record Highs. Who Will Fill the Role When Your CFO Leaves?
Key Takeaways

Navigating CFO Transitions

  • Surging CFO Turnover


Global CFO turnover hit a seven-year high in 2025 and departures remain elevated across both public and private sectors.

  • The Succession Gap


Only 16% of organizations have a proactive CFO succession plan, leaving 84% exposed to sudden financial leadership gaps.

  • The Interim Advantage

A vetted interim CFO bridges the vacancy immediately, maintains financial continuity, and can assist in onboarding or mentoring the permanent successor. It’s no surprise, then, that 12 percent of CFO appointments in Q1 2026 were interims, up from 6 percent in 2025.

A whopping 262 CFOs left their jobs globally in 2025, continuing a multi-year trend of high turnover. In the S&P 500 alone, CFO turnover surged to a record 106 appointments in 2025, up sharply from 89 the year prior. The pace cooled a bit in Q1 2026, but remains well above historical norms.

According to the management consulting firm Russel Reynolds Associates, which keeps track of CFO comings and goings,”even big public companies are at risk of CFO turnover, whether by resignation, retirement, or termination.”

In the first quarter of 2026:

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October 15, 2025

The Downside of Management Consultants and Why Interim Executives Deliver Results

The Downside of Management Consultants and Why Interim Executives Deliver Results

Market volatility, supply chain disruptions, and rapid technological change have left many companies in need of effective leadership. Often, those companies turn to consultants for instant help. But they continue to struggle. Why? Because consultants strategize and deliver impressive decks. But they don’t stick around to turn those ideas into results.

What those companies really need is an effective leader who can strategize, AND deliver results. And they need it now.

The answer is a rock star interim executive who can be on-site, taking charge and making progress in as little as 48 hours.

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June 13, 2025

Top 5 Qualities of a Great Interim CIO

Top 5 Qualities of a Great Interim CIO

When technology stalls or transformation fails, it’s rarely because of tools or code. More often, the root issue is leadership — misaligned, ineffective, or stuck in the weeds.

That’s where interim CIOs step in. The best ones don’t just manage systems. They stabilize teams, reset direction, and accelerate outcomes — often under immense pressure and tight timelines.

At InterimExecs, we work with elite interim leaders across the globe through our RED Team. We sat down with some of our top-performing interim and fractional CIOs to understand what separates the good from the truly great.

Here’s what we found:

1. Adaptable and Unflappable in the Face of Chaos

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May 5, 2025

What Is a Fractional CIO — and When Should You Hire One?

What Is a Fractional CIO — and When Should You Hire One?

Not every company needs a full-time CIO (Chief Information Officer). But nearly every company needs smart, strategic technology leadership.

Enter the fractional CIO — a senior executive who brings years of tech and business experience to your company on a part-time or project basis. Whether you’re scaling fast, modernizing outdated IT infrastructure, preparing for a sale, or looking for IT to fuel your business growth, a fractional CIO gives you the leadership you need — without the full-time overhead.

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May 5, 2025

What Does “Acting” Mean in a Job Title? Acting vs. Interim

What Does “Acting” Mean in a Job Title? Acting vs. Interim
key takeaways

Move quickly to stabilize leadership. Appoint an experienced interim CEO who can take control, maintain momentum and guide the organization through the transition.

Communicate clearly and consistently. Employees, investors, customers, lenders and other stakeholders need honest updates to maintain confidence and prevent damaging speculation.

Use the transition to prepare for the future. Conduct a thoughtful permanent CEO search while strengthening the company’s succession plan for the next leadership change.

What Does “Acting” Mean in a Job Title?

An acting title indicates that someone has temporarily assumed the duties of another position.

For example, an acting manager might step in while the permanent manager is:

  • On parental or medical leave
  • Away for an extended period
  • Leaving the organization
  • Being promoted or reassigned
  • Replaced through an ongoing hiring process
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April 16, 2025

11 Things to Expect from an Interim Leader During Their First 30 Days on the Job

11 Things to Expect from an Interim Leader During Their First 30 Days on the Job

So you’ve decided to bring in an interim executive. Perhaps you need to temporarily fill a leadership role while you conduct a thorough search for a new permanent hire. Or maybe you need an experienced leader to spearhead a new initiative or helm the launch of a new product. Or maybe your company is in crisis and you need a turnaround expert to right the ship.

Whatever the reason you have chosen to bring on an interim executive, you are about to work with someone who works differently. That’s because interims are wired for action.

Here are 11 things to expect from an interim executive during their first 30 days on the job.

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March 26, 2025

When a Public Company CFO Leaves: Why “Now” is the Only Acceptable Timeline for Bringing in a Replacement

When a Public Company CFO Leaves: Why “Now” is the Only Acceptable Timeline for Bringing in a Replacement

CFOs at private companies may come and go with little fanfare or long-term damage to the organization. But the sudden departure of a chief financial officer from a publicly traded company can send a tidal wave of worry through investors, employees, and stakeholders alike.

The CFO is the financial compass, the strategic partner, the place where the buck stops when it comes to fiscal responsibility and reporting.

And when the CFO role at a public company is vacant, the urgency to fill the void is paramount. “Later” simply isn’t an option. Let’s delve into why a public company needs a strong CFO, and needs them now. And then we’ll explore why an experienced interim CFO for public companies is the right way to bridge the gap​.

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August 10, 2024

M&A IT: The Overlooked Key to Deal Success

M&A IT: The Overlooked Key to Deal Success

PwC’s 2023 M&A Integration Survey found that just 14 percent of respondents reported achieving “significant success” in a merger or acquisition. The “secret sauce” to their M&A success? A whopping 88 percent point to the importance of IT integration.

Despite that, the fast-paced world of mergers and acquisitions often means that information technology concerns take a backseat to strategic business objectives during due diligence.

This oversight can be a costly mistake.

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July 24, 2024

When it Comes to Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance: Will You Choose a Babysitter or a Change Agent?

When it Comes to Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance: Will You Choose a Babysitter or a Change Agent?

You’re on a public company board and the phone rings at midnight and it’s not good news: Your CEO or CFO has passed away. The next morning, the board convenes in emergency session. There’s only one subject beyond condolences for the tragic passing: Who is going to step into the interim CEO or CFO role?

Will you choose a placeholder from among your board, or will you choose to do something more proactive?

Let’s dive into the options.

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