How to Hire a Chief Customer Officer
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Chief Customer Officer to give the customer a genuine owner and advocate at the top of the business — a leader focused on satisfaction, retention, loyalty, and lifetime value. Define what the role owns relative to marketing and experience, and hire someone who […]
Leading Through a Crisis: What It Demands of Leaders
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading through a crisis demands calm and decisiveness under pressure, honest and frequent communication, and the judgement to act with incomplete information while protecting what matters most. The leaders who navigate crises well combine steadiness with the ability to make hard decisions fast and keep […]
Post-Merger Leadership Integration: Getting It Right
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerPost-merger leadership integration means deciding the combined leadership team quickly and fairly, aligning it around a shared plan, retaining the key people the deal depends on, and bringing two cultures together with care. Because integration is where deal value is most often lost, getting the […]
How to Hire a Home & Lifestyle Brand Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire home & lifestyle leaders who combine genuine design and brand sensibility with consumer and retail commercial strength. The category sells aspiration and taste through design-led products across complex retail and digital channels, so the best leaders pair an eye for design and lifestyle with […]
How to Hire a Consumer Health Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire consumer health leaders who understand the category’s blend of consumer brand-building and healthcare rigour — including regulation, science, and trust. The best combine genuine consumer and commercial capability with the credibility and care the health dimension demands, matched to whether the business leans more […]
Interim vs Fractional Executives: What’s the Difference?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerAn interim executive works full-time but temporarily, usually to lead through a gap, crisis, or period of change; a fractional executive works part-time on an ongoing basis, bringing senior expertise for a fraction of the time and cost. Interim is about temporary full-time leadership; fractional […]
How to Conduct an Executive Interview
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerConduct an executive interview to assess judgement, leadership, and fit — not to be impressed by a polished story. Prepare against the specific mandate, probe how candidates think and decide with real examples, assess cultural and values fit honestly, and remember it is a two-way […]
How to Hire a Chief Strategy Officer
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Chief Strategy Officer when strategy is complex or consequential enough to warrant a dedicated senior owner alongside the CEO — and be clear about what value they add. Look for sharp strategic and analytical capability paired with the pragmatism to connect strategy to […]
What Does a Chief Data Officer Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Chief Data Officer owns how a business manages, governs, and creates value from its data — the data strategy, quality and governance, and the analytics and insight that turn data into better decisions and, increasingly, into products and personalisation. It matters most where data […]
How to Hire a Creative Director
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Creative Director who combines genuine creative vision with the commercial awareness and collaboration to work within a business — and be clear about what they will own and how their vision aligns with the brand’s. Because creative leadership is about taste and fit […]
