Interim Management and the Food Sector

Interim Management has changed beyond recognition from the days of it being an exclusive (old boys) club of London-based Interim Managers and Providers, largely from financial backgrounds. In the past, it was a question of not what you knew, but who you knew and how much everyone could make on the deal. Thankfully, those days are gone and the demand for flexible managers who can join an organisation over a short period and add value has grown beyond the traditional markets and moved into exciting, diverse sectors such as FMCG and Food Manufacturing, where we are proudly leading the way in Interim provision.

Previously, Interim Managers would be only seen in the very highest positions within companies and this is still a core part of our business – Interim Operations Directors, Managing Directors and General Managers were a key part of our oeuvre last year and will continue to be for as long as I am at the helm. However, the new breed of dynamic, entrepreneurial Interim managers in the food industry are also arriving – they are forming limited companies, gaining liability insurance and bringing their in-demand skills to a sector that needs them. They come from diverse management backgrounds, such as New Product Development, Production, Logistics, QA and Engineering and they are finding assignments.

Of course, lots of the more traditional Interim Providers will look at this level and say 'that is not interim management' – and I wish them the best of luck in their traditional markets of financial services, insurance and banking over the next few years. Food Manufacturing is a real industry, with solid worth, not a fantasy industry relying on a few bankers or hedge-fund managers. You can measure the success of a food company by adding up the value of its property, profit, cash and other assets, then subtracting its debt. You cannot do that to a fad, such as the housing boom.

Our Interim managers are recruited almost exclusively from FMCG manufacturing environments and have proven track records of success to date. Most of them have been interim managers for years and collectively have hundreds of successful assignments under their belts. Newcomers to our interim database must at the very least prove at interview that they are adept in core competencies and have been used in their corporate career as 'internal consultants'.

Interim Management is not suitable for everyone – it has risks – if you are a cautious and adverse to risk (or your partner is) then it may not be for you – there may be periods when you are in-between assignments. You must be prepared for this and must be entrepreneurial in your quest to find assignments. You must commit to Interim Management fully – we are not really interested in people 'in-between' permanent roles or people who dip in and out.

In general, roughly 75% of our interims will be offered a permanent position in their hiring company and almost universally they will decline. Once in, most of our interims never return to the traditional corporate careers, as they view their career in Interim Management as being incredibly enjoyable and rewarding. Have a read through some of the case studies on the left of this page to get an idea of some of the projects our Interims have been involved in.

In the context of Interim Management and the economic climate, at Hutchinson our glass is always half full – if companies are in decline, our interims can address that decline, in boom-times our interims can help accelerate the growth.

Our group now recruits for 74 out of the 100 top food companies in the UK. If you are interested in joining our elite band of interim managers then please get in touch using the contact page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Scott Hutchinson
Managing Director