A departure, a reorganisation, a change in the sales model: teams end up waiting for decisions. An interim leader takes temporary responsibility for sales, marketing or both, depending on the assignment. We start from the remit itself: which decisions, which teams, and what the business expects from that leadership.
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Taking responsibility for sales reviews, resource decisions and sales managers. The director clarifies existing commitments with finance and operations, and gives the team an accountable point of leadership while the role is open.
Redefining account coverage, responsibilities and escalation routes when market segments or channels change. The director leads portfolio reviews, makes the agreed resource decisions and oversees their implementation with the sales managers.
Taking charge of the initiative portfolio, budgets and links with sales when marketing activity lacks focus. The director prioritises audiences and offers, then decides which activities continue, change or stop.
The scope is set: we find the leader for the segments involved.
Work under way: your agent tracks the milestones and adjusts the brief with you.
Decisions made: we organise the handover and, if needed, the permanent hire.
Tell us about the sales team, the segments involved and the customer commitments under way. Say whether marketing is in scope and who decides on resources.
We look for these profiles for our clients on a regular basis. Tell us about your achievements and the projects you have led: a talent agent calls you back to understand what you are looking for.
Yes, where the scope and required skills support it. The assignment should still distinguish sales decisions, marketing responsibilities and the measures used to assess each contribution.
Yes, when team leadership is part of the remit. This includes setting priorities, making decisions and leading managers, with an explicit position in the organisation and clear reporting relationships.
A target can help define the assignment, but it is not a guarantee. It should reflect the sales cycle, available resources and the wider responsibilities entrusted to the leader.
Plan the transfer of key accounts, forecasts, budgets and pending decisions. Every open matter needs an identified owner so the next leader can take responsibility with the relevant context.
Sales leadership owns the direction of selling: account coverage, team management and commercial decisions. Marketing leadership guides market understanding, positioning and activity that contributes to demand. A combined assignment brings these responsibilities together when the organisation, available resources and decisions required support that scope. The two contributions remain clearly defined.
The brief should identify who decides pricing, discounts, offers and expenditure. Marketing's role extends beyond generating contacts for the sales team.
The leader needs a clear understanding of their teams, resources and decision authority before taking responsibility. The assignment distinguishes independent decisions from those shared with executive management and matters requiring escalation. Working relationships with finance, operations and product teams make commercial decisions practical and clarify the commitments each function can support.
Imperfect data may be part of the starting point. Improving its reliability can proceed alongside commercial decisions, with assumptions made explicit.
Review the responsibilities actually assigned: pipeline quality, forecasting discipline, margins, account coverage, marketing contribution. Agree the measures with management and read them in context. The handover pulls together the decisions made, the open opportunities and the priorities still unresolved, so the incoming leader can see where the business stands.
The choice between temporary leadership and a permanent appointment depends on the need. Explore our guide to interim management or permanent recruitment.
They can take on a few sensitive accounts for the duration. The core of the role stays with leading the team and the decisions that commit the sales organisation.
