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Interim vs full-time CEO vs fractional CEO.

Quick answer: full-time CEO is the permanent seat. Interim CEO is full-time temporary. Fractional CEO is ongoing part-time. A management consultant does not own outcomes. Use the table to pick.

Topic: interim vs full-time CEO, fractional CEO vs interim CEO

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/01Comparison
DimensionFractional CEOInterim CEOManagement consultant
Commitment1 to 3 days a week, ongoingFull-time, temporaryProject-based, advisory
Duration6 to 18 months3 to 12 months4 to 16 weeks
AccountabilityOwns P&L line and operating cadenceOwns full P&LOwns the slides, not the outcome
AuthorityReal, inside agreed scopeTotalNone, recommends only
Best forFounder-led scale-up, SME, PE portcoSudden departure, distressed assetOne-off strategic question
CostEUR 6k to 15k / monthEUR 20k to 40k / monthEUR 30k to 200k / project
Where to lookThis sitehireinterimceo.it, interimceo.it, ceoadinterim.it, manageradinterim.it, interim VDBig-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. For Italian-language turnaround, see turnaround aziendale and turnaround manager. turnaroundceo.biz handles the decline scenario.

Interim vs full-time CEO: how do I choose?

Full-time CEO is the permanent seat. Interim CEO is full-time but temporary, 3 to 12 months. Fractional CEO is ongoing part-time, 1 to 3 days a week.

A full-time CEO is the right answer when the company can fund EUR 200k to 400k+ all in and needs a single person in the seat indefinitely. Interim CEO is the right answer when that seat is suddenly empty or the situation is acute and the board needs someone accountable five days a week for 3 to 12 months. Fractional CEO is the right answer when the company needs strategic leadership and executive cadence without the full-time cost, typically for 6 to 18 months.

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, amministratoredelegatoadinterim.com for Amministratore Delegato ad interim mandates with Italian boards, and the broader temporarymanager.work network for European temporary management mandates.

Fractional CEO vs management consultant: what is the difference?

A consultant produces slides. A fractional CEO owns the P&L outcome, hires and fires inside agreed scope, and runs the operating cadence.

Consultants are useful for a one off strategic question. When the answer is known and the problem is execution, the model is fractional or interim, not advisory.

How do I find a fractional CEO in Milan or Rome?

Start with the intro call on this site. Base is Milan, coverage across Italy including Rome, plus the wider European market.

Working languages are English, Italian and Swedish. Contracts are direct with the operating company or with the PE sponsor for portco mandates.
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