Interim leadership

Senior operator seat during a transition.

Interim CRO, VP Sales or SVP roles — typically 3 to 9 months, scoped around a defined transition. A hands-on operator in the seat, not an advisor on the sideline. One engagement at a time.

When this makes sense

Three transition shapes.

Interim leadership only makes sense with a clear transition to lead through — not as a long-term stopgap.

Leadership handoff

Outgoing sales leader or VP Sales has given notice. Incoming hire not yet in place, or in place but needs a runway to ramp. Strategiz covers the seat and the hand-off.

Restructure

New territories, new ICPs, new org design. Someone needs to land the change with the team and protect the number through the turbulence.

Scale-up

Series A or B scaleup where the founder still runs sales. Strategiz formalises the motion, builds out the first commercial layer, and trains the incoming VP Sales to run it.

What the seat actually does

Operator, not observer.

Every week looks like a permanent CRO's week — forecast, deal reviews, hiring, coaching, executive syncs. Plus the transition work.

Run the commercial cadence

Weekly forecast, pipeline reviews, deal inspection, QBRs. The operating rhythm of a real sales org — with your team, in your tools.

Rebuild the playbook

Qualification, value prop, objection handling, negotiation. Trained to the team in the process. The incoming permanent hire inherits something that works.

Hire and coach managers

Assess the front-line managers. Replace where needed. Coach the ones who stay on how to run deal reviews and 1:1s that actually move the number.

Set up the dashboards

KPIs, operating cadences, CRM discipline. So the permanent hire lands on instrumentation that tells them what is working — and what is not.

How the engagement ends

A clean hand-off, documented.

Interim leadership that does not have a planned end is a bad idea for everyone. The last month of the engagement is structured around transfer.

Documentation pack

The playbook, the team assessments, the dashboard configs, the 90-day priorities — all written down, not just in the interim's head.

Permanent-hire ramp

The incoming CRO or VP Sales is shadowed and briefed on every live deal, every manager, every outstanding issue. A structured ramp, not a surprise.

Post-handoff check-in

A 60-day check-in after the hand-off, to pressure-test the transition. Retainer-style advisory if the permanent hire wants a sounding board.

Practicals

Shape of an interim engagement.

Duration

Typically 3 to 9 months. Scoped up-front to a specific transition with defined success criteria. Extension possible only by explicit re-scoping.

Commitment

Full-time or part-time, depending on the shape. On-site presence sized to the team's cadence — Paris or European base.

Pricing

Fixed monthly fee, scoped on the discovery call. No equity. No double-roles with another client during the engagement.

Let's build the motion

Scope the transition together.

A discovery call to size the engagement, clarify the success criteria and check fit.

Book a call →