Background Checks vs References in Executive Hiring
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerReferences and background checks serve different purposes in executive hiring. Referencing gathers informed views on a candidate’s performance, leadership, and fit from people who have worked with them; background checks verify factual matters — qualifications, employment history, and sometimes legal or financial records. References tell […]
President vs Managing Director: What’s the Difference?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerBoth President and Managing Director can denote the senior leader running a business, market, or division, and the two often overlap. The differences are largely regional and structural: ‘President’ is common in the US and often denotes a top or divisional leader, while ‘Managing Director’ […]
What Is Gardening Leave?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerGardening leave is a period during which a departing employee — usually a senior one who has resigned or been given notice — remains employed and paid but is kept away from work, the office, and often clients and information, until their employment formally ends. […]
What Does an Executive Chairman Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerAn Executive Chairman combines leading the board with an active, hands-on executive role in the business — going beyond the governance-focused, part-time remit of a typical non-executive Chair. It is used when a business wants a Chair genuinely involved in running or steering it, often […]
What Does a Deputy CEO Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Deputy CEO is a senior leader who supports the CEO, often deputising for them and taking on significant leadership responsibility — sometimes as a partner in running the business, sometimes as a CEO-in-waiting. Like other senior titles, its meaning varies, but the constant is […]
How to Hire a Chief Innovation Officer
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Chief Innovation Officer to make innovation a repeatable capability the business owns — and be clear whether you need product-and-pipeline innovation, business-model innovation, or a capability-builder. Look for a leader who combines genuine creativity and vision with the ability to build the processes, […]
How to Hire a VP of Marketing
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a VP of Marketing who combines genuine marketing craft with the leadership to build and run a team and deliver results — and be clear whether you need an operational marketing leader or a strategic one (a CMO). Match the leader to your marketing […]
How to Hire a Chief Brand Officer
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Chief Brand Officer who combines deep brand instinct with the strategic weight to protect and build the brand across everything the business does — and define clearly what they own relative to the CMO. Look for a leader who is genuine custodian of […]
Men’s Grooming Brand Leadership: Hiring for the Category
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading a men’s grooming brand takes an understanding of the category’s distinctive consumer, the balance of function and brand, and the shifting attitudes reshaping how men engage with grooming and beauty. The best leaders combine genuine insight into the male grooming consumer with the brand […]
How to Hire a Footwear & Apparel Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire footwear and apparel leaders who combine genuine design and brand sensibility with commercial and operational rigour across a complex product and supply-chain business. The category moves fast and competes on both desirability and execution, so the best leaders pair an eye for product and […]
