Interim CEO After a Sudden Leadership Exit

Stabilizing a US Subsidiary in Building Technology
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    CLIENT CONTEXT

    Global Company Profile

    Company type Leading international manufacturer of valves, controls and systems for building technology
    Ownership Family-owned, founded 1851
    Employees approx. 1,000 at headquarters
    Global revenue approx. EUR 200 million
    Markets international distribution with own subsidiaries
     

    US Organization

    Function

    Sales and service company for the North American market

    Location

    Northeastern United States

    US revenue

    approx. USD 7 million

    Leadership situation

    Unexpected departure of the General Manager; eroded trust between local leadership and shareholders

    Engagement structure

    Interim CEO: three months full-time, then approx. 20 hours per week through handover

    The Situation

    The Situation: A Leadership Vacuum at the Worst Time

    The US sales company was left without leadership after the unexpected departure of its General Manager — in a phase of repeatedly missed financial forecasts and damaged trust between local management and the shareholders at group headquarters.

    The risks for the shareholders:

    • Missed forecasts and declining performance without clear root-cause visibility
    • Flight risk among key sales personnel
    • Sinking morale in a small, sales-driven organization
    • Growing distance between the US company and group headquarters
    The Mandate

    The Mandate

    TH Bender placed an interim CEO with deep management and financial expertise on short notice. The brief: stabilize operations, retain key people, establish reliable financial transparency — and position the company for an orderly transition to permanent leadership.

    The Engagement

    The Engagement: From Full-Time Intervention to Part-Time Stewardship

    Phase 1 — Stabilization (three months, full-time):

    • Securing day-to-day operations and delivery capability
    • Personally retaining the critical sales staff
    • Introducing rigorous budgeting, forecasting and accurate accounting practices
    • Rebuilding communication and trust with group headquarters

    Phase 2 — Stewardship (approx. 20 hours per week):

    Once stabilized, the mandate scaled down to part-time leadership: running the organization, maturing the processes and preparing the handover — at correspondingly reduced cost. That flexibility is a core advantage of the interim model: leadership capacity follows actual need.

    The Result

    The Result: An Orderly Handover to Permanent Leadership

    • Operational stability and business continuity throughout the vacancy
    • Key sales staff retained; confidence inside the organization restored
    • A reliable budget and forecast as the shareholders’ steering basis
    • The stabilization created the conditions for an experienced executive from group headquarters to relocate to the US and take over as permanent CEO
    The mandate illustrates the bridge function of interim leadership: not a substitute for a permanent solution, but its precondition.

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