How business-driven interim delivers results

Business-focused interim isn't just about filling an empty role. It's about understanding what truly needs to change, and why. When an interim solution works its magic, it doesn't just bring extra hands; it provides direction, sets the pace, and offers a sense of security in what's often a complex situation.

At Scandinavian Executive, business-focused interim is a core part of how we work. It means we look beyond the job description and instead focus on the real impact: what needs to change, how your organization will be affected, and what results we need to achieve.

Meet Rickard Cox, Senior Business Manager

Rickard has extensive experience in commercial leadership roles and has worked closely with both management teams and boards in environments undergoing significant change.

He's been the Sales and Marketing Director at Avonova, responsible for Client & Market Development at PwC, and played a key role in business development at Arlanda Airport. Before that, he was also a partner at Mercuri International, focusing on sales and leadership development. 

Today, Rickard focuses on matching interim leaders with organizations that are going through changes, always with a clear eye on business value and impact.

We asked Rickard four questions about business-focused interim, creating value, and what it really takes to succeed.

You've got a lot of experience from management teams. What has that journey taught you about how companies actually work in practice?

– That reality is almost always more complex than it looks on paper. In a management team, you're often balancing the owners' demands for growth against the organization's need for stability. There's usually a direction, but that doesn't mean everyone agrees on how to get there, or even interprets the goal in the same way.

Rickard also points out how much the dynamics between people influence the outcome:

– Just one person can shift the balance of an entire management team. Plus, there's always that financial pressure in the background, with cash flow dictating which decisions can actually be made. This often means strategic ambitions need to be tweaked to fit operational reality.

How does your background on the client side influence the way you work with clients today?

I focus less on the exact requirements and more on the impact. What needs to have changed in six months? What results are crucial? And what needs to happen within the organization to make that a reality?

He explains how his own leadership experience makes the conversations with clients both broader and more thought-provoking:

I try to see the whole picture. How different functions are impacted, what the current culture is like, and what needs to change. Sometimes that means asking follow-up questions the client hasn't considered, or challenging a too narrow view of what's really needed.

Getting the whole organization on board is also crucial, Rickard says:

An interim solution always impacts more than just the specific role. That's why it's important to understand how the decision will be received by the management team and the organization as a whole.

When companies reach out to you for an interim solution, what are the most common challenges they face?

Often, there's clear business pressure behind it. It could be declining profitability, projects that aren't quite taking off, or an organization that isn't delivering on the owners' growth ambitions.

In many cases, it's also about leadership:

It might be a role that isn't working out as planned, or where the necessary business acumen is missing. In that case, you don't just need a replacement, but someone who can step in and actually turn things around.

How do you see business-focused interim solutions making an impact?

For an interim leader to create value quickly, everything needs to be set up correctly from the get-go. It's not just about the person themselves, but about how well the assignment is defined and established before anyone steps in.

Of course, a lot depends on the individual who comes in. But a successful assignment is also determined by the work we do beforehand. How well we understand the need, the questions we ask, and how clearly we can define what the assignment is actually meant to achieve.

Rickard summarizes business-focused interim management in three key areas:

• Strategic understanding: Seeing the big picture and the business logic behind the need.
• Operational realism: Knowing what's actually achievable within the given timeframe.
• Human touch: Understanding the dynamics within the management team and the organization.

When we get these elements right from the start, we set up the interim leader for success. It's all about combining experience, perspective, and business understanding to ensure that every placement truly makes a difference. Not just for the short term, but for the organization's ongoing development.