Search a CEO: How to Find the Right Chief Executive
Searching for a CEO means running a structured process to identify, screen and appoint a chief executive with the right track record for your specific situation. The choice is between a permanent search, which takes four to nine months, or an interim CEO who starts within days and stabilises the company while the search runs.
Where to search
- Executive search firms with a real CEO practice
- Interim and fractional networks for defined-period leaders
- Private equity and family office operating networks
- Direct outreach to CEOs with a public, verifiable track record
What to screen for
- Track record in the exact situation the company faces (growth, turnaround, integration, category creation)
- P&L ownership at comparable scale, not only functional leadership
- Board-level judgement and willingness to make unpopular calls early
- Availability that matches the urgency of the mandate
Permanent search vs interim CEO
A permanent CEO search takes four to nine months from brief to start date. An interim CEO can start within days and hold the line, protecting cash, customers and the leadership team, while the board runs the permanent search without pressure. In many mandates the two are complementary, not alternatives.
The alternative to a head hunter fee
The classic route pays a head hunter twenty-five to thirty-three percent of first-year total compensation and delivers a shortlist in three to five months. The alternative is one senior operator with a C-level track record who takes ownership of the role from day one, on a defined-period contract, without the retained fee.
https://niklaslindahl.com/guides/search-a-ceo