References for an Interim CEO

For an interim CEO mandate, references are the single strongest signal after the P&L history. This guide gives search partners the four questions to ask, the three answers to refuse, and the standard for what counts as a real reference.

The four questions to ask

Would you hire them again for this exact mandate, and why?
Name the hardest decision they took in the first 90 days.
Who did they replace on the leadership team, and how did they exit that person?
What was the state of the business at handover, in numbers?

The three answers to refuse

Vague praise with no example ('great communicator, strong leader')
Any reference from a peer instead of a chair, sponsor, or reporting-line manager
Any reference given only in writing when a call was requested

What counts as a real reference

A real reference is a chair, PE sponsor, or line manager who lived the mandate, will take a 30-minute call, and gives concrete numbers or named decisions. Anything else is decoration.

https://niklaslindahl.com/guides/references-for-an-interim-ceo