Perspectives on leadership, executive search and organisational performance from JOlivier & Partners.
The CEO appointment is the single most consequential decision a board makes. Yet most boards approach it reactively, without a structured process, and under time pressure they created themselves.
The modern CFO is a strategic partner to the CEO, a credible voice with investors, and increasingly the executive responsible for value creation. Most CFO searches are still built for the old role.
PE-backed leadership is a distinct discipline. The executives who succeed combine commercial acuity with operational discipline — and the resilience to perform under genuine scrutiny.
The contingency model creates structural incentives that work against quality. Speed is rewarded. Thoroughness is not. The retained model exists to fix this.
Research shows that 50–70% of executives fail within 18 months of appointment. The cause is almost never competence — it is the failure to navigate the transition itself.
The operating partner role has evolved from a part-time advisory position to one of the most consequential leadership appointments a fund makes. Most searches are still designed for the old role.
A board composition review that results in no change is not a rigorous process — it is a validation exercise. We outline what a genuine review looks like and why the nomination committee is central to it.
The Portuguese executive market has changed significantly over the past five years. International capital, the tech sector's growth and the return of the diaspora have reshaped what good looks like across most senior roles.
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