CEO Search: Succession for an Owner-Operator Business
A chief executive the existing management team would follow rather than tolerate — tested with the general managers, not only the board.
The brief
An owner-operator stepping back from day-to-day control needed a chief executive the existing management team would follow rather than tolerate.
The search
Stakeholder interviews ran wider than usual — the general managers of four properties as well as the board — because the appointment would live or die on their support.
The outcome
Running stakeholder interviews across four properties as well as the board added time at the front of the search and removed the risk that otherwise surfaces after the appointment. Succession from an owner-operator fails on management-team buy-in far more often than on the candidate record.
What we track on a search like this
- Time to shortlist — measured from Position Profile sign-off, not from the first conversation.
- Shortlist depth — a short list of genuine finalists rather than a long list to filter down.
- Retention at twelve months — reviewed with the client a year after the start date.
Representative engagement. Client and candidate details are withheld for confidentiality.