Interim CEO vs fractional CEO vs consultant.
Side-by-side comparison. Pick the right model first. Then hire the person.
| Dimension | Interim CEO | Fractional CEO | Consultant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Sits in the CEO chair | Part-time CEO across multiple companies | External advisor. No chair. |
| Time commitment | Full-time, single company | Two to three days per week | Project-based hours |
| Decision authority | Full P&L, hiring and firing | Defined authority, board-approved | Recommendation only |
| Typical duration | 3 to 12 months | 6 to 24+ months, rolling | Weeks to months per project |
| Pricing | Day rate or monthly retainer | Monthly retainer at part-time rate | Fixed fee or T&M |
| Reports to | Board or controlling shareholder | Board or founder | Sponsor inside the company |
| Legal title (Italy) | Often filed Amministratore Delegato | Rarely filed | Never filed |
| Best used for | Turnaround, CEO exit, post-deal, crisis | Scale-up with limited budget, repeat advisor-with-skin | Diagnostic, strategy, due diligence |
| Risk transfer | Owns the outcome | Shares the outcome | Owns the recommendation |
| Exit | Clean exit on agreed date, successor briefed | Rolls into longer-term advisor or chair | End of engagement |
Source: practitioner experience across Italy and cross-border PE-backed mandates. Pricing ranges on the cost page.
Quick picker
If you only read one line.
- Pick interimfor turnaround, CEO exit, post-acquisition execution or crisis.
- Pick fractionalfor early-stage scale-up with limited budget and ongoing need. For marketing, see fractionalcmo.rent.
- Pick consultantfor diagnostic, strategy or due diligence where the chair stays full.
Italian interim roles
Same chair. Different titles in Italy.
In Italy the same temporary executive chair is searched as interim CEO,CEO ad interim,Direttore Generale ad interim ortemporary manager, depending on legal title, reporting line and search language. The hiring logic is identical: a fixed-term leader with full authority, a defined outcome and a clean exit.
Next step
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