In the last of our Boyden Brief roundtable sessions for 2021, we share an overview of the results from our poll questions on the impact of Brexit, the Covid pandemic and how these will impact interim roles moving forward in to 2022.
Many of you will have attended or reviewed the outcome of the Boyden UK & Ireland team webinars that we hosted once a quarter to keep connected with the interim management community during a period time where we were not always able to be together face to face. The quarterly ‘Boyden Brief Calls’ have provided us with a great platform to keep interim managers updated on our activity levels and to also run polls during the calls which provide an interesting snapshot of feedback from the interims about a variety of topical subjects.
In this last of the Boyden Brief sessions for 2021 we posed a number of questions around the impact of Brexit, Covid pandemic and how they would impact interim roles as we moved in to 2022. Here we share an overview of the results of the questions and answers from the last poll of 2021:
Q1. Q4 Activity Versus Q3 2021
We wanted to understand whether the last quarter of the year was busier than the previous quarter; particularly as we had seen a significant increase in the volume of assignments coming through to us from clients in the last quarter of 2021. It appeared that the experience of the interim managers was the same with 50% stating that they were busier in the last quarter compared to July-September.
Q2. Drivers of interim requirements
Within our business the drivers of the interim assignments reflected the poll results shared by the interim management community with only 6% hearing about ‘business as usual’ roles, with the majority of assignments being driven by change/transformation, growth or turnaround needs.
Q3. Expected drivers for interim roles in 2022?
The interim’s feedback from the poll question around types of roles for 2022 were mostly focused on ‘positive growth’, which made up 46% overall. A combined 36% around operational improvement and cost out focused with 18% of the interims sharing their view that we will see businesses needing to focus on restructuring and turnaround.
Q4. How the consequences of Brexit will impact UK PLC over the long term
We asked the interims whether the decision taken on Brexit would continue to impact UK PLCs as we head into 2020. As reflected in the original vote, the views were quite close with a narrow majority of interims 53% sharing that they felt the consequences would be detrimental to UK PLCs and 41% thought it would beneficial over the long term.
Q5. The impact of the pandemic on Interim’s geographical mobility for assignments
Overwhelmingly the interims that answered the poll question around whether they would stay away overnight for an assignment said the pandemic had not changed their attitude to staying away, with 94% happy to work as and where the client requires them to, reflecting the truly flexible nature of an interim.
Q6. Will IR35 pose a greater problem in 2022 versus 2021
Finally, we couldn’t have a Boyden Brief in 2021 without asking for feedback about IR35 as it has had an impact on private sector interim roles this year. The majority of interims thought the impact would be same but interestingly 37% saw it as more of an issue as we head into 2022.
Register for the Next Boyden Brief
We sincerely hope that we will be able to host some face to face events this year for our network of interim managers, but in the meantime, if you are interested in attending the next Boyden Brief session or have suggestions of poll questions for the next call, please email Abi.Vickers@Boyden.com
Register your CV with Boyden
If you have a proven track record of working on more than 2 interim assignments at the senior level and would like to register with us in the UK & Ireland or for international roles, please upload your CV via our website: https://www.boyden.com/cv
Client Contact
If you are a Client considering engaging an interim executive please call us on 020 3651 6993 or email our Managing Partner Lisa.Farmer@Boyden.com and we would be pleased to talk through your requirement.
Lisa Farmer has 20 years’ experience in interim management, leads the UK & Ireland Interim Management Practice, and is a Co-Leader of Boyden’s Global Interim Management Practice. She co-founded her own interim management firm in 2011, and leverages her extensive network to support clients undergoing change and transformation.
Managing Partner Claire Lauder leads the Industrial Practice of U.K. Interim Management, focusing on industrial manufacturing, advanced engineering and technology. She works with FTSE and AIM-listed firms, PE-backed and owner-managed small and mid-size enterprises, partnering with investors and leadership teams to understand their strategic goals and identify leaders who help reach them quickly.
Josh Blackman is a highly adaptable interim management specialist with over a decade of experience placing senior leaders and board members in healthcare, life sciences and social impact sectors. Known for navigating complex client requirements, Josh has a deep network within his sector, enabling him to deliver impactful, lasting interim executive solutions for organisations undergoing transformation