Mention his last job prior to joining SH&S was serving in an CEO interim capacity.
(610) 240-9559 or E-mail: 
(610) 240-9559 or E-mail: 

CHAIRMAN 
WILLIAM G. "WILL" RICHMOND
WILLIAM G. "WILL" RICHMOND


   For more information on how hiring a interin CEO, COO, GM, or CFO    
        executive can help your organization remain on course ... contact  
   For more information on how hiring a interin CEO, COO, GM, or CFO    
        executive can help your organization remain on course ... contact  
BIO
CEO & CFO INTERIM MANAGEMENT 
Who Are We?

We're the leader in providing interim CEOs to high technology companies. No one else is close. We're the hub of a large network of talent - more than 100 tech industry CEOs. We're more than matchmakers. Through our investment fund, Network Members have a shared economic interest in the success of our client companies. So, we stay involved after the match is made to use our collective skills to achieve success.


What Do We Do?

We're always recruiting CEO talent. We intensively screen candidates before offering them Membership in the Network. This approach is different from the retained search model, but it insures that we can quickly respond to a need.

We help board members diagnose their leadership problem, even meeting with current founders and team members if appropriate. Then we recommend a plan that may or may not include our services. We've been asked to review over 100 companies in the last two years. Once we are engaged, we manage the interview and decision process in a way that optimizes for speed and we negotiate a cash and equity package for our Member.

We nurture the Network with regular face-to-face events and an electronic community. We leverage their broad base of experience and contacts to help our Members who are in companies as interim CEOs.


Why Choose The Interim CEO Network?

For prospective clients, The Interim CEO Network is the leading firm in its field with the most experience and largest network of talent. Our clients know that we deliver top quality candidates fast. This "quality and speed" together value proposition is proven and distinctive. Many companies are in a situation where the traditional permanent search model won't deliver on one or both of these criteria because the risk/reward profile of top quality talent is different from what the company can offer at that moment in time. However, these same top quality people are eager to jump into an Interim CEO Network deal because they have limited duration and high upside potential.

For prospective members, The Interim CEO Network is the leading firm in its field with more deal flow, more experience, and more resources than any other. You are not a "candidate"; you're a member of a very special team. We're in business to represent you, not sell you on taking a job.


Management Team

Our leaders are experienced General Managers. Mike Braun is our CEO and has 30 years of operating experience. He's led Kaleida Labs and Blaze Software and has many years of general management experience in large business at IBM. David Powell is Chairman of the firm and pioneered the original interim CEO idea starting in 1999. He is also CEO of David Powell, Inc. (DPI), one of the most respected executive search businesses in Silicon Valley for over 27 years. DPI's Financial Services Division, with an 19 year track record, is a major source of part time and interim financial executives to venture backed companies. Steve Smith, Managing Director, is one of the world's top M&A advisors having built a major part of Broadview Holdings where he was Vice Chairman after a successful operating career at Fairchild, Amdahl, and as CEO of Reference Technology. Mike Burkland, Managing Director, has over 11 years of bringing strategic focus and operational excellence to high growth companies and has led three private companies through successful acquisitions by larger companies.

Michael A. Braun, Chief Executive Officer
David L. Powell, Sr., Chairman 
Stephen S. Smith, Managing Director
Michael J. Burkland, Managing Directo
www..ceo-net.com

The Interim CEO Network is the #1 source of interim leaders for high tech companies.

We represent a large network of highly talented and respected executives who can be available immediately. Network Members have a reputation for excellence in leadership, a solid understanding of the venture community, and experience in building fast-growing organizations.


The Problems We Solve

We deliver top quality candidates fast. Our value proposition is based on delivering "quality and speed" together. Many companies are in a situation where the traditional permanent search model won't deliver on one or both of these criteria because the risk/reward profile of top quality talent is different from what the company can offer at this moment in time. However, these same top quality people will jump into a deal with The Interim CEO Network (ICN) because they have limited duration and high upside potential.

As ICN Members, these executives have all served as CEOs or chairmen for technology companies. When you need a leader now who is better than what a traditional search may yield, you're in the "ICN zone." Situations requiring interim CEOs or chairmen include:

Execution needs a major kick start immediately.
An executive search is underway and the company needs interim leadership that VCs are unable to provide for various reasons, mostly time constraints.
A crisis situation has occurred where an experienced CEO can execute damage control, mentor the team, or otherwise manage the required change.
Intellectual leadership is needed in connection with market validation or product definition.
Fundraising efforts requiring specialized leadership.
"Tired" but still promising deals needing unique attention or resolution.
Investors seeking help to work out of "barely breathing" deals.
Or simply, when attention needs to be paid to the start-up and the investors are stretched too thin to invest enough time in the company.
Contact us now to discuss your needs 
Read more about our work


Questions and Answers

1. How long does it take to get someone in here? 
Our goal is to have candidates to you within one week. Then it's up to your interview schedule and calendars. Typical elapsed time is three to four weeks from the time you say go until our Member is in the chair. Think about a typical permanent search and substitute the word "weeks" for "months" and your expectations will be in the right range.

2. Why should I use ICN vs. someone in my Rolodex? 
It comes down to quality and speed. With over 100 Members, The Interim CEO Network has a broader source of qualified candidates than any single individual. We're constantly refreshing it. And it's our job to save you the time it takes to make the calls and find the talent. Also, ICN Members use each other as a resource because they have a shared economic interest in our Fund.

3. Why should I use ICN vs. venture partners or EIR programs? 
Again, it's about quality and speed. Think of The Interim CEO Network as your "virtual" venture partner. The advantage of venture partner and EIR programs is that these people are yours. They are on your payroll. When you have a need, you can direct them to work on it. But the model has serious scalability problems. You can't expand and contract this resource easily, you can't send your software venture partner into a semiconductor company, and you can't use the same software EIR in two deals at the same time. Using The Interim CEO Network solves these problems. Your portfolio company pays only when they need the talent and we quickly find the right skills from a much broader talent pool. The venture firm pays nothing. You get a better, faster, and more cost effective solution.

4. Why The Interim CEO Network vs. other similar firms?
We've got the largest and best network. We've got more experience than any other firm and have the references to prove it. We're experienced operating CEOs ourselves. Many clients remark that our effectiveness at "quality and speed" is tied to this ability to understand, communicate, and contribute better than they ever expected. Finally, David Powell, Inc. is part of our network. Dave's "recruiting machine" has built a twenty-five-year record of success in Silicon Valley. It is a constant source of talent for The Interim CEO Network, and it helps our people find the permanent talent they may need during their assignments.

5. Can we offer a full-time job to The Interim CEO Network Member if it works out?
Most definitely. About 40% of our Members have "fallen in love" with their companies and converted to permanent. This situation is a win for everyone and our terms encourage it.

6. Can you help me find other interim leaders in marketing, finance, etc.? 
Yes, through our network of associated companies.

7. Do you work beyond Silicon Valley?
Yes, but very selectively. Give us a call to discuss your need. We won't take on an assignment we can't handle.


We serve the boards of high technology companies by offering a unique interim ceo service that solves urgent leadership problems. Ironically, the time when a board realizes it needs a change at the top is the time when it's most difficult to recruit a top quality leader on a permanent basis. We solve this problem by deploying one of our Members in days or weeks and then staying active in the company throughout the engagement. We've worked with over twenty-five of the leading Venture Capital firms in Silicon Valley and beyond. They call us when they think a traditional search will take too long or cause them to compromise on quality.
Our team includes over 100 high tech CEOs with records of success in private and public companies. They come from every segment of the technology industry. Most are based in Silicon Valley. They are experienced. They are successful. They are leaders. They want to work hard and take the full responsibility of being CEO on their shoulders. They are eager to work intensively for three to nine months, but do not want or need to commit to permanent CEO positions. Our interim CEOs convert to permanent in about 40% of our assignments.
http://www.focusmg.com   8-2011

Interim Management > Chief Executive Officer

Interim Chief Executive Officers are appointed to an apex seat in an organization for a temporary period of time under various circumstances. Talent is often difficult to find at the CEO level in a short time period; therefore, appointing an interim CEO is an attractive option. Focus Management Group’s interim CEOs:

Help set strategy and vision and guide where the company is going
Build culture and determine how the company will get there
Develop teams and appoint who is going to make it happen
Focus Professionals match the needs of the company to the experience of our professionals in challenging business environments. Our interim CEOs report to the Board of Directors or directly to the owner of a company with updates on the execution of the business against an agreed-upon plan.
In today's rapidly changing world of business, ethical improprieties, fraudulent behavior, poor performance, strategic change, sudden departures, or even an unexpected death are just some of the reasons why responsible organizations turn to using interim management. 

While this time is generally perceived as a period of turmoil. It provides a special opportunity for those organizations with the foresight, numerous ways to project through its leadership the necessary confidence to its employees and those important outside parties, and to confirm or reaffirm its maturity and grace as a first-class organization is out in front successfully orchestrating its immediate activities during this trying time of transition.  

It also offers a great opportunity to take advantage for assessing, prior to a CEO or COO search where the organization is, where it needs to go, who will lead it,  and how it will get to where it is going. 

Interim management provides the board, shareholders, or senior management the time to deliberate, and to develop an appropriate plan for a replacement without having to incur the stresses  one undergoes if operating under a crisis mode.