CEO, Interim CEO and Operating Partner Mandates

The right mandate depends on the business problem, not the title. A permanent CEO mandate provides long-term enterprise leadership. An interim CEO mandate restores control through a transition or performance event. An operating partner mandate supports a board, investor or portfolio company against defined value-creation priorities. Each requires different authority, duration and governance — while remaining accountable for measurable commercial and operational outcomes.

Where this fits

Demand → Pricing → Cash → EBITDA → Network → Visibility → Value

$110M+ Revenue Managed

20+ Operating Experience

17× EBIT Exit (Dotmar)

12 Countries Operated

Start Here

One sector focus.
Four primary mandate pathways.

The sector lens remains consistent — industrial, manufacturing, distribution, building products and industrial materials across Australia and APAC. What changes is the mandate type: whether the need is long-term leadership, immediate deployment, or embedded value creation alongside investors. Testimonials and references from boards, investors and founders are available for context on how these mandates have been delivered.

Most businesses choose the wrong mandate because they start with the title, not the problem. This page is designed to help boards, founders and PE firms choose the right path without forcing different leadership needs into one decision page.

Start with the business problem, not the title. Long-term value creation, immediate performance intervention and investor-backed operating support are not the same mandate.

How to Choose

Which mandate fits?
Start with the business need.

Choose CEO / Managing Director

Choose this when the business needs long-term leadership, sustained growth, disciplined capital allocation and full accountability to board, owners or investors over time.

Choose Interim CEO

Choose this when there is urgency — leadership gap, underperformance, cash pressure or the need to stabilise and reset before a permanent appointment is made.

Choose PE Operating Partner

Choose this when investors need embedded operating depth inside a portfolio company to accelerate EBITDA improvement, integration, cash release or exit readiness.

Keep the sector constant

The operating backdrop remains the same: industrial manufacturing, distribution, building products, industrial materials and supply chain-intensive businesses across Australia and APAC.

“The wrong mandate slows decisions, blurs accountability and wastes time. The right one changes the trajectory of the business.”

Choose a Path

Four ways to engage.
Different mandate. Different outcome.

Each path below serves a different leadership requirement. Choose by business need — long-term ownership, immediate intervention or embedded investor-backed value creation — not just job title.

CEO & Managing Director

For businesses that need a long-term leader to own performance, allocate capital well and build enterprise value over time — not just stabilise the situation.

— Full-time CEO / MD appointment — Growth, scale and acquisition integration — Capital allocation and long-term value creation — Board, owner and investor alignment

View CEO / MD Mandate

Interim CEO

For businesses that cannot wait — leadership gaps, cash pressure, underperformance or stalled change where the board needs to delegate immediate operating control to reset performance under pressure. Also engaged as turnaround CEO Australia across PE-backed manufacturing, distribution and industrial businesses.

— Interim / Acting CEO deployment — Leadership gap and transition cover — Performance reset and cash pressure — Bridge between permanent appointments

View Interim CEO Mandate

PE Operating Partner

For portfolio companies where investors need embedded operating depth to accelerate EBITDA improvement, integration, cash release and exit readiness during the hold period. This mandate works alongside operator-led commercial diligence — the same operating lens, applied to execution rather than assessment. For a fuller view of what the role actually involves day to day, see the dedicated explainer.

For narrower, time-bound operating support on a specific business challenge — pricing architecture, working capital, supply chain, or customer concentration — the Focused Mandate provides concentrated expertise without a full executive appointment.

— Embedded PE value creation mandate — Post-acquisition integration — EBITDA, cash and operating cadence — Exit preparation and portfolio alignment

View Operating Partner Mandate Focused Mandate

Industrials Core Sector Lens

Manufacturing Operational Depth

Distribution Commercial & Supply Chain

APAC Regional Operating Scope

Sector Track Record

Proven results.
Across industrial businesses.

The sector pattern is consistent: under-optimised businesses where pricing, mix, working capital and operating cadence are not fully translating into profit, cash flow or enterprise value.

Dotmar Engineering Plastics — CEO

17× EBIT exit multiple. Full P&L accountability, restructured operations and commercial model ahead of PE trade sale.

Polyflor APAC — CEO & MD

300% EBITDA growth. Rebuilt the regional business across ANZ and APAC, overseeing manufacturing, distribution and commercial teams.

Plascorp — CEO

85% EBIT expansion in 18 months. Operational and commercial transformation of an industrial distribution business.

Full Track Record Insights & Thinking

Not sure which path fits?
Start with the mandate, not the title.

Choose the route that matches the business need — full-time leadership, interim intervention or embedded PE operating support.

CEO / Managing Director Interim CEO Operating Partner

Operating Method

How I run the business

The mandate structure determines how quickly that improvement cycle begins. A full-time CEO appointment moves slower than an interim or focused mandate — but creates a more durable operating foundation once the right leader is in place. Where a business is preparing for a transaction or ownership change, transaction readiness often runs alongside the mandate to ensure the operating model can support the process.

Weekly operating cadence
KPI ownership
ERP and analytics alignment
Pricing and margin visibility
Working capital discipline
Branch and network performance
Board-level reporting discipline

Performance Visibility Track Record Discuss a Mandate

Relevant Result

EBITDA $1.3m to $5.2m — Industrial Distribution

Situation

Privately held industrial distribution business with declining margin and no execution rhythm across the branch network.

Lever Used

Pricing structure rebuild, product mix discipline and operating cadence reset across all sites.

Outcome

EBITDA improved from $1.3m to $5.2m through a 12-month operator-led performance mandate.

Track Record

Discuss A Mandate

Value creation in a PE-backed business is decided in the operating model — in the first 90 days and across the hold period. The investment thesis is only as credible as the execution architecture underneath it.

Go to next step: Operating Partner View full sequence

APAC Operating Footprint

Scott’s APAC operating exposure extended across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Shanghai/China, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan — combining office, subsidiary and in-market leadership exposure with direct work alongside local teams, distributors, customers, suppliers, warehousing partners and operating leaders.

For PE-backed industrial businesses, the private equity value creation advisory mandate covers post-acquisition operating execution — EBITDA improvement, cash release and execution cadence.

Founder exit readiness is the preparation discipline that determines whether a business is ready for succession, sale or investment before any formal process begins.

Sell-side readiness is the operating preparation that determines what a business is worth in a formal sale process — and how much of that value survives buyer scrutiny.

Operational due diligence readiness determines whether a business can withstand buyer scrutiny — the ten ODD categories that PE firms and trade buyers test during formal diligence.

Operator advisory is the independent operating view — before committing to a mandate, a board, founder or investor gets a clear read on performance, valuation drivers and the commercial case for change.

Engaging an operating mandate for a business approaching PE is most productive after answering whether private equity is the right buyer — the mandate structure and objectives differ significantly depending on the buyer type.

For founders preparing to engage PE, what private equity looks for in a business sets the commercial context — the criteria PE firms apply when assessing operating quality, earnings defensibility and management depth.

The first 90 days of an operating mandate establish the cadence, diagnose commercial performance and build the value creation plan — the operating architecture for the first quarter of any CEO, operating partner or interim leadership engagement.

Post-acquisition leadership support is the operating engagement that follows a transaction — embedded P&L accountability during integration, performance reset and the commercial execution that converts the investment thesis into operating results.

Shape Executive Operating Architecture