What an interim CEO costs.
How pricing works in Italy. Day rate vs retainer. What drives the number. Total engagement cost logic.
Two pricing models
Day rate or monthly retainer.
Day rate fits short, variable-scope work. Monthly retainer fits full-time three- to twelve-month mandates. Pick one, do not blend.
Day rate
€1,500 to €3,500
per working day. Italy market range.
- + Short engagements, variable load
- + Diagnostic, pre-deal, crisis sprint
- − Hard to budget over six months
Monthly retainer
€25,000 to €55,000
per month. Full-time interim CEO. Italy range.
- + Predictable cost
- + Three- to twelve-month mandates
- + Capped at agreed days per month
What drives the number
Six drivers. In this order.
/01
Company size and complexity
EUR 10M revenue with one legal entity is not EUR 200M with three. Group complexity drives time on governance, not on operating.
/02
Urgency
A start in five days costs more than a start in five weeks. Crisis premium is real and it should be.
/03
Reporting and stakeholder load
Single PE sponsor, fast. Three-way board with conflicting agendas, slower and more expensive.
/04
Time commitment
Full-time interim CEO has a higher monthly cost. Three days a week fractional model lowers monthly burn.
/05
Legal title and liability
Filed Amministratore Delegato carries personal liability in Italy. Director insurance and legal exposure feed into the number.
/06
Geographic spread
One site in Milan is not five sites across Italy plus a foreign HQ. Travel is in the rate, not on top.
Total engagement cost
Look at the total, not the rate.
A EUR 35,000 monthly retainer over six months is EUR 210,000. Compare that to the cost of leaving a portfolio company without a CEO for the same six months: missed plan, lost customers, departing managers, deferred decisions. The interim CEO is almost always the cheaper option per week of indecision avoided.
Total engagement cost = retainer or day rate × duration + travel pass-through + (optional) milestone-linked success fee. No recruitment fee. No agency margin.
For a quote, book a 30-minute intro call. A written scope and number land within 48 hours of the call.
Next step
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Book a 30-minute intro call. Written scope and number within 48 hours of the call.