Interim CIO and Executive Leadership Services
The gap between a departure and a permanent hire is one of the highest-risk periods in any organization’s calendar. Decisions get deferred, programs stall, and the institutional knowledge that keeps complex operations running walks out the door with the outgoing leader.
Approach Consulting provides interim executive services for organizations that need experienced leadership in place on day one, not in six months when a search concludes. Engagements are structured for healthcare, PE-backed, staffing, tech, and regulated-industry clients where the stakes of a leadership gap are highest.
What Interim Executive Leadership Actually Requires
An interim executive is not a placeholder. The organizations that get the most from an interim engagement treat it as a defined program: clear objectives, a governance structure that gives the interim real authority, and an explicit plan for what “done” looks like — whether that means a permanent hire, a stabilized operation, or a completed program.
Approach Consulting’s interim executives bring direct accountability, not advisory distance. The practitioner in the interim role is the practitioner making the decisions, not a senior advisor overseeing a team.
Typical Roles
- Interim CIO for health systems, PE-backed healthcare companies, staffing, tech, and regulated-industry organizations
- Interim VP of Transformation or Program Executive for complex multi-workstream initiatives
- Interim COO or operational leadership for organizations in transition, integration, or restructuring
- Bridge leadership during M&A, divestiture, or platform consolidation
How Engagements Work
Interim engagements are scoped by objective, not by duration. The initial engagement defines the specific leadership gap being filled, the decision-making authority required, the governance structure for the interim period, and the handoff criteria for a permanent successor. Pricing is aligned to scope and outcomes, not to an open-ended hourly arrangement.
About Approach Consulting
Christopher Gunn has served in senior leadership roles across healthcare transformation, merger integration, and technology-driven operational change, including as a peer alongside MBB and Big Four firms on a $69 billion Fortune 50 integration. Approach Consulting is built for organizations that need a practitioner who can step into a leadership role and be effective from week one.
To discuss an interim executive engagement, contact Christopher Gunn at chris@approach-consulting.com.