Interim Execs in Demand.

• Position: Brief Article

The idea of "interim executives" has been around for years, but the mounting roster of corporate failures and turnarounds has brought a surge in demand.

Many companies today are using such hired guns to help guide the organization through volatile times to brighter days ahead, says Paul Dinte, president of Dinte Resources Inc., an executive search firm in Virginia. "We are more frequently bearing about interim chief executive officers taking over in high profile or publicly held corporations that are in financial turmoil and need turnaround specialists, as well as in entrepreneurial companies where executives with proven operational expertise are needed ASAP," Dinte says.

The interim executive concept can be applied in every functional area, as well as in general management. In addition to a "caretaker" role, companies may employ an interim executive model to "test-drive" the professional prior to a permanent appointment, to...