The paper, CFO Insights: Interim management: the solution in a talent-short market?, is based on interviews with 200 CFO and financial directors across the UK. It suggests that the biggest concerns are loss of legacy knowledge (43%), followed by leadership abilities (20%) and functional skills (18%).
The report points to interim management as one way employers can stop the skills drain. Almost all of the CFOs (96%) said that they would consider becoming interim managers as they approach retirement.
Almost two-thirds (61%) cited the flexibility offered by interim management as the biggest attraction, while 37% said that they are tempted by the exposure to new companies and sectors.
Robert Half Management Resources vice-president of enterprise solutions Julian McLaren said the majority of professionals looking to enter interim management want to use their skills in "progressive, forward-looking organisations".
"Finance leaders benefit from the cost-effective access to skills offered by interims," he said. "By continuing to capitalise on the readily available and highly trained interim market, businesses can adjust more easily and quickly to workload variations."
