How to Find a CEO for a Mid-Size Company
To find a CEO for a mid-size company, define the mandate before the search, use two channels in parallel (executive search and direct outreach to operators with a verifiable track record), screen on situation fit rather than seniority alone, and consider an interim CEO to bridge the timeline while the permanent process runs.
Write the mandate before the search
Most CEO searches drift because the mandate is vague. Write down the two or three outcomes the CEO must deliver in the first eighteen months, the constraints they must respect (cash, culture, ownership structure), and the leadership team they will inherit. The mandate, not the CV, is the screening tool.
Use two channels in parallel
- Retained executive search for a full permanent process
- Direct outreach to operators with a public C-level track record
- Interim and fractional networks for defined-period bridging
- Private equity operating partners and family office networks
Screen for situation fit
A CEO who has scaled a business from twenty to two hundred million is a different operator from one who has restructured a two-hundred-million business under stress. Screen candidates on the specific transition they have already run, and take references from people they reported to, not people they managed.
Bridge the timeline
If the seat is already empty, appoint an interim CEO to run the company while the permanent search continues. It removes the pressure to hire fast, protects the leadership team from drift, and gives the board better information about what the business actually needs from the next permanent chief executive.
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