Hiring Leaders: Startup vs Established Brand
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerStartups and established brands need genuinely different leaders. A startup rewards builders comfortable with ambiguity, speed, and doing more with less; an established business rewards leaders who can lead scale, complexity, and organisation. Hiring a leader suited to the wrong stage is one of the […]
How Executive References Work
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerExecutive references, done properly, are in-depth, candid conversations with people who have genuinely worked with a candidate — designed to test evidence about how they lead and deliver, not to confirm a decision already made. Good referencing is structured, honest, and handled with care for […]
What to Expect as a Candidate in an Executive Search
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerAs an executive candidate, you are usually approached rather than applying. Expect a confidential, considered process: an initial conversation, in-depth interviews and assessment against a specific mandate, honest dialogue about fit both ways, and careful handling through to offer. A good search firm represents you […]
The Executive Search Process, Step by Step
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA retained executive search moves through defined stages: scoping the mandate, mapping and approaching the market, assessing and shortlisting candidates, client interviews, offer, and onboarding. Each stage builds on the last, and the quality of the early ones — especially scoping — largely determines the […]
Executive Compensation Structures Explained
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerExecutive compensation usually combines base salary, an annual bonus tied to performance, and long-term incentives such as equity — and for senior leaders the long-term element is often the most significant. Understanding the structure, and what each part is designed to reward, matters more than […]
What Is an Equity or Long-Term Incentive Package?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA long-term incentive (LTI) package rewards an executive for sustained value creation over several years, typically through equity or an equity-like plan that pays out at a future event or over time. For senior leaders, it aligns their reward with the owners’ and is often […]
Counteroffers: Why They Usually Fail
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerCounteroffers rarely solve the problem that prompted the resignation. The reasons a leader decided to leave — mandate, growth, culture, or trust — are seldom fixed by more money, and most who accept a counteroffer leave anyway before long. Prevention and an honest conversation beat […]
What Does a Chief Revenue Officer Do? CRO vs CCO
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Chief Revenue Officer owns all the functions that generate revenue — typically sales, and often marketing, customer success, and revenue operations — under one leader accountable for growth. It overlaps heavily with the Chief Commercial Officer role; the difference is usually emphasis and company […]
What Does a Managing Director Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Managing Director typically leads a business, division, or market end to end — owning its performance, team, and commercial results. In many companies the MD is effectively the CEO of a market or unit; in others, a senior operational leader beneath the CEO. As […]
What Does a General Manager Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA General Manager is the senior leader accountable for a whole business, site, or unit — owning its performance, its team, and its customer experience day to day. In hospitality and multi-site businesses especially, the GM holds operational command and commercial ownership together, and is […]
