Interim Managers make a Career

Interim manager is a profession that is a real option for top managers

There are about 15,000 Interim Managers in Germany. The top Interim Managers consciously choose such a career. While we have been working with these managers for years, we are watching them evolve. They take on ever larger tasks for more fees. If a managing director starts at the age of 50 with €1,500 per day excluding travel expenses, then a few years later he costs €2,000. These top Interim Managers are worth every penny.

The interim managers have organized themselves. The umbrella organization of German interim managers DDIM currently has about 500 members and the trend is rising. Specialist groups have been formed for different disciplines that exchange ideas with each other. Regional groups and regulars’ tables spread all over Germany meet regularly. During the pandemic, they exchanged ideas virtually. There is an annual congress with current topics such as agility or artificial intelligence and workshops that deal with the day-to-day business of interim managers.

The European Business School EBS has been offering further training as an interim executive for many years. Other institutes offer further training as a restructuring manager or project manager. Training as a coach or mediator is also offered.

The provider association AIMP offers interim managers the opportunity to exchange ideas with providers and other colleagues at its two-day annual forum. Here, too, workshops on current topics are offered. For 10 years, the Interim Manager of the Year has also been presented here. Three exemplary careers of top Interim Managers will be presented.

After all, there are digital marketplaces for interim managers where they can also present themselves via video. Particularly noteworthy here is the marketplace of UNITEDINTERIM, where the interim managers can also test and present their soft skills.

When the author joined AC Alpha Management as Managing Director more than 20 years ago, there was already the Interim Manager Community in the Alpha Management Pool®, but the Interim Manager did not have the recognition he has today. The foundation of the associations, the training opportunities and the organized exchange among the interim managers has paved the way for the career as an Interim Manager. The author is significantly involved in this development.

The Interim Managers make a significant contribution to the formation of the crisis and the management of the consequences of the crisis. Today, they have become indispensable when it is possible to solve challenges. The Interim Manager providers help customers and managers by minimizing the risk of incorrect staffing through their experience.

The German development in Interim Management is an example for the global market. Some other countries have (almost) reached this point; others still have a way to go. But the prospects are the same: The profession of Interim Manager is an option for top managers who want to face new challenges again and again. Top managers also make a career as Interim Managers.

International cooperation
With associated member firms in 40 countries and partner branches in 24 countries including Europe, Americas, Asia, Australia and Middle East, Senior Management Worldwide (SMW) delivers services seamlessly across the world in any market. One local contact in your country plus one contact on the ground in the country where we are working. Wondering how we can help your company? Contact the SMW partners in your region: smw-interim.com.

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Bodo Blanke

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