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/ 03 — Compare
Fractional CEO vs interim CEO.
Quick answer: fractional CEO is ongoing part-time. Interim CEO is full-time temporary. A management consultant does not own outcomes. Use the table to pick.
Topic: fractional CEO vs interim CEO
/01Comparison
| Dimension | Fractional CEO | Interim CEO | Management consultant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commitment | 1 to 3 days a week, ongoing | Full-time, temporary | Project-based, advisory |
| Duration | 6 to 18 months | 3 to 12 months | 4 to 16 weeks |
| Accountability | Owns P&L line and operating cadence | Owns full P&L | Owns the slides, not the outcome |
| Authority | Real, inside agreed scope | Total | None, recommends only |
| Best for | Founder-led scale-up, SME, PE portco | Sudden departure, distressed asset | One-off strategic question |
| Cost | EUR 6k to 15k / month | EUR 20k to 40k / month | EUR 30k to 200k / project |
| Where to look | This site | hireinterimceo.it, interimceo.it, ceoadinterim.it | Big-4, boutiques |
/02Answer-first
When does fractional beat interim?
When the company needs ongoing executive leadership without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire, and is not in acute crisis.
If the founder is overloaded but the company is healthy enough to fund growth, fractional is the better tool. A full-time interim CEO is overkill and creates a re-hiring problem in 9 months.
When does interim beat fractional?
When the CEO seat is empty, the situation is acute, or the board needs a single throat to choke five days a week.
Sudden CEO departure, PE asset in distress, regulator at the door: that is interim work. Start at hireinterimceo.it in English or interimceo.it for Europe. turnaroundceo.biz handles the decline scenario.
Italian-language mandate?
Use the Italian-named sites for credibility with Italian boards and family owners.
For an Italian-language mandate the equivalent labels matter: ceoadinterim.it for CEO ad interim work, direttoregeneraleadinterim.it for the Direttore Generale variant common in family businesses, and the broader temporarymanager.work network for European temporary management mandates.