When to Make Your First C-Suite Hire
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerMake your first C-suite hire when a function becomes too important and too complex for the founder to lead part-time — and when the business can define the role clearly and support a senior leader properly. Hiring too early wastes a senior salary on a […]
How to Hire a Hospitality CMO
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a hospitality CMO when brand and demand become too important and too complex to lead in fragments — and remember that in hospitality the role owns commercial levers most sectors keep separate: direct booking, distribution, and loyalty. Hire for the ability to grow direct […]
How to Hire a Fashion CEO
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a fashion CEO who can lead the brand and the business at once — protecting creative identity while delivering commercial performance across wholesale, retail, and direct channels. In fashion, the ability to partner with creative leadership while owning the numbers is decisive, and often […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
