3 reasons to consider a commercial interim executive

As uncertainty increases, companies face growing pressure to respond to changes in their operating environment. Challenges often relate to commercialisation: pursuing more sales, growth from new product groups or customer segments, and more strategic sales and marketing leadership. Globally, the use of interim executives has increased by 170 % since 2022..

Change always starts with people, and major shifts often require new expertise. Recruitment is a significant investment especially when there is a clearly temporary need for change management, hiring a permanent employee may not make sense. In these cases, an interim executive is an excellent solution.

Why is an interim executive more than a consultant?

A commercial interim executive is an experienced expert in strategic change and commercialisation, operating in the space between consultant and in-house leader. As a consultant, they quickly assess the current and target state, business objectives, and the organisation’s capabilities and resources. This assessment is compared to the business strategy, and a change plan is created and implemented by the interim executive.

Unlike project-based consulting, an interim executive works full- or part-time within the company for a fixed period, typically 4-12 months. This allows for much deeper familiarity with people, culture, and practices than is possible in a traditional consultancy role.

Why consider an interim executive?

1. The fastest way to drive commercial change

Typically, companies are under time pressure to turn things around when sales lag. A commercial interim executive is the quickest way to get change underway and deliver results in revenue. At best, an interim leader can start immediately, meaning results become visible quickly in both turnover and even profitability. 90 % of companies say flexibility as the main reason for engaging interim experts.

2. Top expertise and experience in sales and marketing

Interim professionals are highly experienced. Their background in commercialisation, including launching new services, Go-to-Market, and leading sales and marketing, means they understand both people leadership and process change management. Interim leaders bring strategic vision and a results-driven approach. They have cross-industry experience, allowing them to share ideas from other industries and deliver new insights to your organisation.

3. The right expertise for the change

Steering change often requires different skills than maintaining established processes. An experienced commercial change leader is motivated by transformation and challenging goals. Once new ways of leading sales and Go-to-Market processes are in place, and the marketing strategy supports growth, commercial leadership can be smoothly transitioned onwards.

The founders of After, Mariann Karimaa and Sohvi Salmelin have decades of experience in commercialisation, sales leadership, Go-to-Market, and strategic marketing. Our network also includes several experienced specialists in business development, sales, and marketing.