The world of interim managers: the INIMA Annual Survey2024 Let's learn about the world of interim managers through the results of INIMA's 2024 global survey!

The world of interim managers: the INIMA Annual Survey2024
The popularity of interim management is growing year on year, with companies increasingly turning to this solution when faced with a problem. This is according to a recently published survey by the International Network of Interim Manager Associations (INIMA). But to go beyond the conclusion, let's look deeper into the analysis and find out what this gap-filling research has revealed.
The term interim manager may be familiar to an increasing number of HR or other managers. This is no coincidence, as this way of accelerating change and problem-solving within the company is increasingly common practice. The main reason is that the world is becoming increasingly complex and this requires a diverse and multi-faceted skill set.
Specialised knowledge is held by the best people who do not necessarily want to be tied to a single company, not to mention that it is not always necessary for the solution to come from a full-time employee. Moreover, competition is fierce, and time is a crucial factor. Every minute wasted can have serious financial consequences. The project-based approach of interim managers is perfectly in line with this situation.
But who are interim managers and what do they do? Go through the INIMA survey to find answers to these questions!
The survey
The international survey published by INIMA was the result of a collaboration between organisations such as DOIM (Austria), AE-CMT (France), CAIM (Czech Republic), DDIM (Germany), Leading Network (Italy), VRIM (Liechtenstein), SIM (Poland), AIM (Portugal), AIME (Spain), DSIM (Switzerland) and IIM (UK).
Find out what the results are!
Who is the interim manager?
European interim managers are typically:
- average age 56-57, who are not new to the field, with an average of 8.5 years of interim professional experience.
- Interestingly, the average age was almost 2 years higher in 2023 than 4 years ago.
- In most cases, interim workers decided to continue their career as an interim at the age of 48 after leaving full-time permanent employment.
- They switched at the peak of their careers, and most of them started from a managerial position (C-level or above).
- The proportion of women among interim managers was quite low, even in the countries with the highest rates (France and Poland) only 20%.
The main specialisations of interim managers are:
- General management (30.2%),
- finance (11.4%),
- operational management (10.1%),
- human resources (8.8%)
- IT (5.6%).
As in previous years, the utilisation rate (ratio of billed days to working days) of professionals was high at 69% in 2023. While in the North there were only full-time assignments, in the South there were also part-time arrangements, allowing companies with smaller budgets.
Who are the clients?
In European terms, the client base is very diverse, with clients ranging from start-ups with a few people to large corporations. In Southern countries, half of the assignments were for companies with fewer than 100 employees.
In the United Kingdom, 8% of the assignments were for non-profit organisations, in France 7% were for public-private partnerships, and there was a particularly high proportion of start-up assignments, 21%. In total, 52% of all engagements were in the SME sector.
What kind of mandates were given to the interim?
Based on the responses of interim managers, it emerged that
- change management and
- process optimisation was the most important task,
but with a particular focus on
- business development,
- project management and
- general management.
60% of the interim staff were in management positions at C-level or above, with assignments lasting on average 11.5 months and an average daily salary of €999.
47% of interim staff were contacted through personal contacts and marketing, 32% through interim service providers, and 3% through international associations.
Interim Ltd. at the forefront of the domestic interim market
Interim Ltd. offers innovative solutions for handling sudden and protracted crisis through its interim management services. We have two decades of experience in this field, and we put the knowledge we have gained over this time to good use in our daily work.
Our services excel in terms of competitiveness and rapid adaptability, and we not only manage unexpected and critical situations but also equip our partners to deal with them, ensuring that they maintain their market advantage and stability.
With more than 800 successful projects behind us, we can claim to be able to create long-term value for our clients. Our interim management system is not only a fast and efficient solution, but also a profitable investment for companies in the short term due to the high return on investment.
Close cooperation with our clients, continuous communication, and transparent project management ensure that all tasks are carried out to the highest standards.
For more information on our other benefits and interim management services, please visit our website, where you can also request a free consultation.