The top 25 interim management firms in the UK
What are UK’s top interim management firms? A survey of over 2,000 interim managers sheds light on the industry’s most recommended players – meet the top 25.
In response to growing demand for more flexible working practices, specialist management skills and chronic skill shortages, organisations are becoming increasingly reliant on the interim workforce, especially within professional services. This demand has seen the number of interim managers in the UK grow strongly over the past years, lifted further by the broader shift towards more flexible working practices – also known as the ‘gig economy’.
The majority of interim managers – estimated to be over 80% by the Institute of Interim Management (IIM), a professional body for those working on interim basis – work with specialist interim management and staffing companies to win assignments, keep apace with market developments and knowledge sharing, and comply to regulation including IR35, among others.
However, with the UK home to over 1,000 firms that provide interim management brokering services, selecting a preferred interim provider is a daunting task for any interim manager.
According to the 'Interim Management Survey 2020' by the Institute of Interim Management of over 2,000 interim managers in the UK and their more than 18,000 unique votes (an interim manager is in touch with on average six to seven providers), these are the UK’s top 25 providers:
Practicus
Eton Bridge Partners
Interim Partners
Wilton & Bain
Melber Flinn
Solace in Business
Ameo
Odgers Interim
Holdsway
B2E Consulting
Penna
Hunter
Boyden
Tile Hill
Greenwell Gleeson
FRP Transition
Kingsley Search & Interim
Osprey Clarke
Rawson Downey
La Fosse Associates
Matrix Interim
Savannah
BIE
Stanton House
Investigo
When assessing companies, interim professionals consider a variety of factors, from the size of the network and quality of engagements to reliability, the maturity of the infrastructure provided, margins applied by providers (typically between 20% to 25% of fee income) and personal fit.
In the UK, interim managers are mostly in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s – the average age is 53. The role is still male dominated, with around a quarter of interim managers now female, up from 20% a decade ago.
The Institute of Interim Management is UK's professional body for interim managers and executives.
