Listening to your views
Thanks to all of the Interim Managers who took part in our recent survey. We were especially pleased to receive such a high number of responses a total of 1474, which illustrates clearly that it was a valuable opportunity for you to share your thoughts and opinions about the sectors in which you operate with us. And, as a result of the information provided, we are now in an even better position to tailor our communications with you so that we can continue to seize opportunities together.
Following is a summary of our findings:
It is interesting to note that the majority of our Interim Managers are operating at the highest levels of seniority within clients businesses. The figures also illustrate a healthy spread of the functions in which Interim Managers are using their talents to benefit the businesses that they join. It is also encouraging to see that we have retained a high percentage of finance professionals, many of who will have been with us since our special focus on financial assignments in 2003 and 2004.
Manufacturing and Financial service sectors have been big users of Interim Managers in recent years and our client base reflects this. Interestingly, the public sector, which we entered into in 2007, ranks just outside of our current list of major areas of operation with Central Government 4%, Local Government 3.4%, NHS 3%, Education 1.9% and MOD 1.6%. However, the NHS is currently our second largest market in terms of fee generation, and we would anticipate a greater representation of public sector candidates when we conduct our next survey.
Typical rates for Interim Managers
Our daily rates span a wide range; from below £500 to over £2000 with most candidates operating in the £500-1500 bracket and the majority seeking circa £600+ per day. Almost 40% of candidates confirmed that they are prepared to work on assignments for £500-700 per day, which breaks down further to 17.0% being happy to work for £500-599 and 19.2% willing to conduct assignments for £600-699. Only 4% of candidates insist on earning in excess of £1500 per day and less than 1% seek £2000 or more per day.
Top 3 types of assignments
Candidates reported the following types of assignments as being the most popular:
- Programme/project management
- Turnaround
- Gap management/executive absence
Views about the market
When we conducted this survey in the summer of 2008, more than 65% of candidates described themselves as being busy or in demand. Since then the market has softened and we are seeing more candidates entering the market and current Interim Managers being more flexible in terms of rates and locations in order to ensure continuity of work. Our overall view is that the market for Interim Managers is robust, which is supported by the increase in our company revenues. Opportunities remain strong for high caliber Interim Managers, however, uncertainty about the economy in 2009 is creating a softer market.
A special thank you from us!
When we asked candidates to tell us about their outside interests, travel was quoted the most often. So, in thanks and recognition for your support, we have partnered with the Orient Express Group to provide an exclusive offer to our Interim Managers. Click here for further info and enjoy!
Doug Baird
Managing Director
