What Companies Are Looking for Right Now – A Look at Recent Enquiries

Daniel Rolla
8 hours ago
3 min read

Demand for interim management doesn't stand still — it reflects what's keeping organisations up at night. Looking at the enquiries we've received over the past few weeks, clear priorities emerge: financial leadership under pressure, stalled transformations, crisis situations without clear stewardship, and HR structures that can no longer keep pace with change.

Here are the themes companies across Switzerland and Europe are bringing to us most frequently right now.

1. Finance & CFO Roles: Control in Uncertain Times

Demand for experienced interim CFOs and finance directors is particularly strong at the moment. The underlying drivers:

Companies are under increasing pressure from rising interest rates, tighter liquidity, and growing reporting requirements
Many are looking for CFOs who don't just know the numbers, but actively prepare decisions and manage scenarios
Common triggers: sudden departure of the existing CFO, upcoming financing rounds, or restructuring processes
Most sought-after profiles combine M&A experience, strong banking and investor relationships, and a proven track record of execution

Typical mandates run three to nine months – often with the option of transitioning into a permanent role or systematically preparing a successor.

2. Transformation & Change: When Projects Lose Momentum

Transformation initiatives are rarely the problem – execution is. The most common enquiries in this area follow a familiar pattern:

Projects are conceptually sound, but lack leadership that actually drives delivery
Internal programmes stall because management is too absorbed in day-to-day operations
Digital transformations, ERP rollouts, and reorganisations need someone who takes ownership – not someone who facilitates
Companies are looking for interim COOs, programme directors, and transformation managers with demonstrable experience in comparable projects

Particularly in demand: profiles who can communicate credibly with the executive team while directly leading operational teams on the ground.

3. Crisis Management: Stabilising Before It's Too Late

Crisis enquiries often arrive late — but they do arrive. Over the past weeks, the situations reaching us most frequently include:

Companies facing acute liquidity pressure that need decision-ready leadership immediately
Situations following internal conflicts at leadership level that have eroded trust and stability
Businesses where operational KPIs have deteriorated sharply and an external assessment is urgently needed
Family-owned companies in transition where succession has stalled or broken down

What matters in crisis mandates: speed, sound judgement, and the ability to make clear decisions under pressure — without destabilising the organisation further.

4. HR & CHRO Roles: When People Become a Strategic Priority

HR has long been an undervalued function in the interim market. That's changing. Recent enquiries show:

Companies are looking for interim CHROs who don't just manage HR, but strategically reposition the function
Common drivers: high staff turnover, cultural change post-M&A, building HR infrastructure in growing organisations
Sought-after profiles think across compensation & benefits, talent management, and organisational development in an integrated way
International HR experience in regulated environments and proven change management capability are especially valued

Many of these mandates arise because HR was underestimated in transformation projects – and only recognised late as the real bottleneck.

What These Enquiries Have in Common

As different as the situations are, one pattern runs through all of them:

The need typically arises faster than organisations can respond
Internal resources are insufficient – either the capacity or the necessary distance is missing
What's needed isn't simply a leader, but someone who takes genuine ownership and delivers
The timeframe is clearly defined – but the impact is expected to last

In these situations, interim management is not a stopgap. It is a deliberate choice for experience, speed, and focus – exactly when it counts.

Do You Recognise Any of These Situations in Your Organisation?

Swiss Interim Management supports companies across Switzerland and Europe with the fast and targeted placement of interim leadership – from the initial assessment through to a successful handover.