How to Retain Executives After an Acquisition
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerRetain executives after an acquisition by addressing early what actually keeps senior leaders: clarity about their role and future, respect for what they built, a voice in the integration, and incentives aligned to staying and succeeding. Uncertainty is the enemy — the businesses that retain […]
Founder-CEO vs Professional CEO: What’s the Difference?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA founder-CEO brings vision, conviction, and deep ownership of the business they created; a professional CEO brings experience of scaling, structure, and running a larger organisation. Neither is inherently better — the right choice depends on what the business needs for its next chapter, and […]
What Does a Chief Supply Chain Officer Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Chief Supply Chain Officer leads a business’s end-to-end supply chain — planning, sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, and distribution — ensuring products are made and delivered efficiently, reliably, and at the right cost and quality. For product businesses, it is a critical role, blending operational excellence […]
What Does a Chief Information Officer Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Chief Information Officer owns a business’s internal technology and information systems — the platforms, data, infrastructure, and security that the organisation runs on. Where a CTO often owns technology in the product or customer-facing side, a CIO typically owns the technology that runs the […]
What Does a VP of Marketing Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA VP of Marketing leads and runs the marketing function — planning and executing across brand, campaigns, digital, and demand — usually with a strong operational and executional focus. Where a CMO sets marketing strategy at the executive table, a VP of Marketing more often […]
What Does a Chief Merchandising Officer Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Chief Merchandising Officer owns what a business sells and how it is assorted, priced, and presented — the product range, buying, and merchandising strategy that determine commercial performance. In retail and multi-brand consumer businesses, the role sits at the intersection of product, commercial, and […]
What Does a Creative Director Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Creative Director owns the creative vision and expression of a brand — its aesthetic, storytelling, and how it shows up across product, campaigns, and experience. In brand-led categories they are custodians of what makes the brand distinctive, translating its identity into everything customers see […]
How to Prepare for an Executive Interview
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerPrepare for an executive interview by going deep, not wide: understand the business and the real challenge behind the role, be ready to discuss how you think and lead rather than just what you have done, prepare sharp questions of your own, and be honest […]
What Does a Chief Technology Officer Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Chief Technology Officer owns a business’s technology — its strategy, systems, and engineering — and, increasingly, how technology drives the products, experience, and growth of the business. In consumer and beauty, the role spans the digital platforms, data, and infrastructure a modern brand runs […]
Signs of a Bad Executive Hire (and How to Respond)
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerThe early signs of a struggling executive hire are usually about fit, judgement, and trust rather than obvious incompetence: a leader who cannot build relationships, whose judgement worries you, who avoids hard calls, or who the team quietly loses faith in. Recognising these honestly and […]
