Ten
thousand interim executives – double the figure forecast just two years ago and
five times the year 2000 total – are now in action in UK companies at any one
time, according to a review of the market.
The
Interim Management Association, which revealed the growth in the use of
interims, also estimates the market is worth £1bn.
However,
Nick Robeson, deputy chairman of the Interim Management Association, believes
that at least 70 per cent of companies and their professional advisers have no
accurate perception of what an ‘interim executive’ actually does.
"Our
industry needs to embark upon a robust educational programme to benefit both
ourselves and private and public sectors," he said.
"It’s
a secret club – some interim executives are business legends and enigmas who
have quietly dropped off the radar. The interim management sector has
consequently amassed a tremendous talent pool of proven change and turnaround
specialists who have stepped out of successful full-time corporate and public
sector life,” said Robeson.