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New industry poll reveals the pressure points keeping PE professionals up at night and which emerging C-suite roles could reshape the playbook.
Private equity firms are increasingly turning to interim executives not as a plan B, but as a strategic advantage. But where exactly are these seasoned leaders making the most impact? And which new C-suite roles are emerging as critical?
Renoir’s latest poll series asked PE professionals and interim leaders to weigh in on the biggest challenges facing portfolio companies right now. The answers reveal some clear priorities and a few surprising gaps.
When it comes to protecting value and mitigating risk, the results were remarkably close: 58% said interim executives deliver their biggest impact through leadership continuity, edging out cash and working capital control at 42%.
The poll reveals a near split between two fundamentally different risk priorities. Leadership stability won by a narrow margin, suggesting that when senior executives depart unexpectedly or leave mid-integration, the impact on strategic execution and organisational confidence is viewed as the primary concern.
What stands out equally is what didn’t register. Supply chain resilience and regulatory/ESG compliance both received zero votes. Whether this reflects confidence in current approaches to these areas or represents a potential oversight remains an open question.
When asked about the most urgent transformation priority, the margin was clear: 63% identified operational efficiency and cost reduction as the top concern.
Digital and AI adoption came in second at 31%, showing it has significant mindshare among PE professionals. However, the two-to-one ratio in favour of operational efficiency indicates where the immediate pressure sits.
International expansion and cross-border integration received 0% of votes, while ESG and sustainability alignment captured just 6%. These results suggest these remain secondary priorities in the current environment.
The people challenge results showed 43% identified embedding a high-performance culture as the greatest challenge where interims are proving critical. This beat out all other options by a meaningful margin.
Leading large-scale change came in second at 29%. Retaining senior talent post-deal and filling sudden C-suite gaps tied at 14% each.
The poll suggests that beyond simply retaining key individuals or filling vacant roles, the harder challenge lies in building organisational cultures that drive sustained performance and accountability.
When asked which new role will emerge as most critical, the votes split across three main options, with no runaway winner.
Chief Transformation Officer received 42% of votes, the highest share but not a majority. AI/Tech Acceleration Leader captured 31%, whilst Chief Value Creation Officer took 24%. ESG/Sustainability leads received just 2%.
The relatively even distribution across the top three roles suggests different firms may be prioritising different capabilities based on their portfolio needs and investment theses. The combined 73% for transformation and AI/tech roles indicates these are the primary areas where new interim C-suite capability is expected to be needed.
The poll results highlight several patterns worth noting:
Leadership and culture dominate people priorities. The emphasis on leadership continuity (58%) and embedding high-performance culture (43%) suggests these foundational elements are viewed as prerequisites for everything else.
Operational efficiency takes clear precedence over growth initiatives. With 63% prioritising ops efficiency and 0% on international expansion, the current focus is squarely on improving what exists rather than expanding into new markets.
Supply chain and ESG received minimal attention. Zero votes for supply chain resilience and minimal votes for ESG initiatives (0% and 2% respectively across different questions) indicate these are not current deployment priorities for interim executives, at least among this respondent group.
The future interim role remains contested. With the top three roles capturing 42%, 31%, and 24% respectively, there’s no clear consensus yet on which new C-suite archetype will prove most valuable. This likely reflects the diversity of portfolio company needs across the PE landscape.
This poll data captures where PE professionals are actually deploying interim executives today and where they expect to need them tomorrow. The priorities are
clear: stabilise leadership, drive operational efficiency, embed performance culture, and prepare for transformation-focused C-suite roles.
Whether these priorities will shift as market conditions evolve remains to be seen. But for now, the data shows where interim executives are being asked to make their mark.
The data suggests focusing on leadership stability, operational improvement, and cultural transformation delivers the biggest impact in portfolio companies. Contact Jennifer Brook-Botfield at jen.brook-botfield@renoirinterim.com to discuss how interim executives can support your value creation strategy.
