Interim management and operating leaders
Interim CEOs and enterprise leaders, general managers, and business unit heads to take charge through leadership transitions and complex business challenges
Start a conversationAgility at the top
Leadership matched to the moment
The right leadership answer isn't always a permanent one. A transition, performance challenge, or high-stakes agenda can demand additional senior capacity and operating experience. Organizations can add an interim leader to run a business or P&L, own a critical mandate, or work alongside a step-up successor—meeting immediate needs without rushing a long-term decision.
151%
38%
69%
151%
38%
69%
1 "2026 High-End Independent Talent Report." Heidrick, April 2026.
2 "2026 Talent Lens Survey: The State of Interim Talent." Heidrick, February 2026.
General management talent
Experience at every level of the business
General management spans leadership of the enterprise, individual businesses, and critical operations. Heidrick connects organizations with seasoned executives who bring P&L ownership, operating depth, and experience leading through growth, transition, and performance pressure.
Interim CEOs, presidents, and managing directors
Set enterprise direction, make cross-business decisions, and steer organizations when leadership judgment and visibility matter most.
General managers, business unit, and operating leaders
Lead businesses, divisions, regions, and critical operations, balancing commercial priorities, people, execution, and financial performance.
Senior executives for defined leadership mandates
Step into a focused area of responsibility, provide seasoned counsel to incumbent leaders, and help transfer experience into the organization.
Why Heidrick
A wider lens on leadership
Heidrick works across the leadership decisions that shape an organization: who should lead, how responsibility should be structured, and when the business needs added capacity or experience at the top. Our work gives us a broader perspective on those decisions—and we apply it to bring in leaders whose experience fits the role, operating context, and desired outcomes.
Add the leadership the situation requires
Maintain momentum through a transition
An unexpected departure or planned succession does not put the business on hold. Interim CEOs and senior executives can provide continuity at the top, maintain accountability for performance, and lead the organization while the board or leadership team determines the right long-term answer.
Give a step-up leader room to grow
The right long-term leader may not need to arrive fully formed. A seasoned executive can work alongside an internal successor, taking on selected responsibilities, providing an experienced sounding board, and helping the new leader build capability while remaining accountable for the role.
Take charge when performance is on the line
When a business unit, region, subsidiary, or plant needs stronger leadership, an interim general manager or senior line leader can assume day-to-day operating responsibility, reset priorities, strengthen execution, and establish clearer accountability for performance.
Change the trajectory of an underperforming business
Sustained performance pressure can require more than incremental improvement. Interim operating leaders can identify what is holding the business back, make difficult decisions, align teams around clear priorities, and lead the changes required to improve results.
Add leadership capacity for an exceptional agenda
A major transaction, expansion, transformation, or other high-stakes priority can stretch even a strong management team. Adding a senior operator to own a defined mandate or part of the operating agenda can give incumbent leaders the capacity to keep the broader business performing.
Related capabilities
Put the right leadership in place
Access interim management and operating leaders to take charge, share the load, or lead a critical business priority.