How do you choose an interim management firm?
The most decisive criterion is who selects the managers. At ADN Transition, it is the partners themselves, all former senior executives, who do it: they check that the manager has actually led a project of the same kind, in a corporate culture close to yours. This is what Luc Marot, President of ADN Transition and an interim management professional since 2005, explains.
In short
– Ask the firm who selects the managers: partners who have run companies better understand your challenges and projects.
– Check that the proposed manager was the head of the project, not just its sponsor.
– Make sure they have experienced corporate cultures close to yours: a French family business and the subsidiary of an American group do not work the same way.
What criteria should you use to compare interim management firms?
All firms have access to experienced managers. What sets them apart is how they choose the one who will go on assignment with you. Here are the questions to ask them.
| Criterion | Question to ask the firm | ADN Transition’s answer |
|---|---|---|
| Selection | Who chooses the proposed manager? | The partners themselves, all former senior executives |
| Project experience | Did the manager lead this type of project, or only supervise it? | They must have been its head, and this is verified |
| Corporate culture | Have they worked in companies comparable to yours? | Cultural fit is a selection criterion |
| Depth of the pool | How many managers can the firm mobilise? | More than 5,000 interim managers |
| Assignment follow-up | Who supports the manager once in post? | A partner, from scoping to the success of the assignment |
Why does the profile of those who select matter so much?
To judge whether a manager will be able to lead your project, you need to understand your company, your challenges and the exact nature of the project. Partners who have themselves held executive positions speak the same language as you, and know how to read a career path beyond job titles.
Luc Marot, President of ADN Transition, sums it up:
“The partners know the company, understand its challenges and know the projects. They are therefore able to say with confidence that a given manager has actually led a given project.”
Head of the project or mere sponsor: why is the difference decisive?
On a CV, having “taken part in” a transformation project or having “supervised” it can look similar. In reality, it is very different. The sponsor approves and supports. The head of the project runs it day to day, faces the obstacles and sees it through to the end.
For Luc Marot, this is what the selection must verify:
“They were not just the sponsor, they were the head of the project. And they will be able to see it through in your company.”
Why is corporate culture a selection criterion?
A manager who excels in one environment may struggle in another. Codes, decision-making rhythms and expectations are not the same in a family-owned SME, a listed group or the subsidiary of a multinational.
Luc Marot gives a simple example: you do not place a manager who has spent their entire career in French family businesses at the head of the subsidiary of an American group.
He concludes:
“This qualification by the partners is really one of the distinctive points that makes us more effective in making our assignments succeed.”
Who are ADN Transition’s partners?
ADN Transition’s partners have headed finance, operations and sales functions, or entire companies, across a variety of sectors and cultures. It is this diversity that allows them to qualify managers for very different contexts.
Luc Marot, President
After three years in audit at Arthur Andersen, he became CFO of McDonald’s France. In 1992, he set up NRJ’s finance department, then ran the group’s international operations, with numerous radio acquisitions in Europe. In 1997, he joined the Lagardère group: CFO of Hachette Filipacchi Médias, then General Administrator of Interdéco. In 2005, he founded FIT Management, an interim management firm, then took over the Procadres International brand with two partners, before joining X-PM in 2018 and then ADN Transition.
Jean-Baptiste Devalland
Ten years at Arthur Andersen, between consulting on the ecological transition and auditing large groups, then 18 years at Engie (formerly Suez) as CFO and managing director of subsidiaries. He was notably CEO of Banque Solfea and CEO of Teksial, a subsidiary specialising in energy transition services.
Catherine Messner
More than 30 years of operational management, strategy and change management in the food industry (Nestlé, Mondelez, JDE): Purchasing and Supply Chain Director, then Director of transformation projects (post-acquisition mergers, carve-outs, ERP roll-outs). She worked as an interim manager herself before becoming a partner.
Laurent Gareau
More than 30 years in finance and general management in industry: a UPSA subsidiary acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb, an SAP project and finance leadership for specialty fine chemicals at Clariant (8 plants worldwide), Finance Director of the Delpharm LBO from 2004 to 2011, then management of several LBOs and board and chairman mandates.
Laurent Cremaschi
An EDHEC graduate, he has held executive positions and managed international teams. At ADN Transition, he develops assignments in sales, marketing and commercial management. A coach for executives and teams, he points out that you do not select an interim manager by matching a CV with a job description: you have to understand an environment and its human balances.
Olivier Riffault
After management control at PPR, then recruitment at Robert Half and Michael Page, he founded in 2001 a specialist recruitment consultancy, now NEXtT, which works mainly for large groups.
ADN Transition in a few facts
– Interim management firm founded in 2013.
– A pool of more than 5,000 interim managers.
– 6 partners and 7 senior advisors, who qualify the managers themselves.
– Offices in Boulogne-Billancourt and Lyon.
– Values: high standards, availability and sincerity.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you choose an interim management firm?
First look at who selects the managers, then check that the proposed manager has led a project of the same kind, in a corporate culture close to yours, and that they will be supported during the assignment.
Who selects the managers at ADN Transition?
The firm’s partners themselves, all former senior executives. They constantly qualify the managers in the pool and choose the one who goes on assignment.
What is the difference between the sponsor and the head of a project?
The sponsor supports and approves the project. The head runs it day to day and sees it through to the end. ADN Transition checks that the proposed manager was its head.
Why does corporate culture matter when choosing the manager?
Because a manager succeeds better in an environment close to those they have known. For example, you do not place a profile from French family businesses in the subsidiary of an American group.
Looking for the right manager for your project?
ADN Transition’s partners assess your need, your corporate culture and your project, then introduce you to an interim manager who has already been the head of a project of the same kind.
Thelma Fratacci joins ADN Transition as a work-study student
Bernard Puraye joins ADN Transition as Partner
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