Retained Search vs Interim Placement
Retained search finds the permanent CEO in four to nine months; interim placement puts a real operator in the seat inside three to six weeks. For a six-to-nine month CEO gap, the honest answer is almost always both, in sequence, not one instead of the other.
The frame
Interim and retained search are not competing services. They solve two connected problems: who runs the company today, and who runs it long term. Choosing one and skipping the other is usually where a transition goes wrong.
Side by side
https://niklaslindahl.com/compare/retained-search-vs-interim-placement-for-ceo-gap