“You have to be ready to relive your first day on the job, again and again”: Annett Wege on interim management
When Annett takes on a mandate, she rarely knows exactly what lies ahead. As an Interim CFO, she is used to stepping into organisations that are out of balance: a vacancy, a badly timed absence on the executive board, knowledge gaps that nobody has quite managed to close. This is exactly her territory.
“You have to be willing to do project work,” says Annett. “And you have to be prepared to go through your first day again and again: new company, new team, new systems, and still deliver from day one.”
Why companies need interim management
Mandates don’t only arise from rapid growth. More often, the starting point is a gap: a specialist who is suddenly unavailable, a decision that has been put off for too long, a team left without leadership. According to Annett, the root cause often lies not in finance or operations but in how companies manage their people:
“Companies often pay attention to their own employees too late. Decisions about who goes where are sometimes driven more by politics than by expertise. Then, all of a sudden, the know-how is missing exactly where it matters most. That’s why people like us are needed.”
This is where she sees the added value of interim managers: the outside perspective. “We don’t have tunnel vision. We bring a wide range of experience of how other companies tackle things and which best practices actually work, and we keep learning with every new mandate.” This outside view makes it possible to raise issues that have become too familiar internally for anyone to question them anymore.
In day-to-day terms, that means creating structures where they are missing. Examples include introducing cash flow planning and analysis, training teams, passing on knowledge, developing in-house tools and optimising systems such as SAP. The interim role is therefore never just about filling a gap. It is always about enablement as well: by the end of the mandate, the company should be in a stronger position than when it began.
Why do companies and interim managers choose FS Partners?
For Annett, working with FS Partners is no coincidence. She values the role FS Partners plays behind the scenes. This includes vetting clients before a mandate begins, so that their solvency and genuine willingness to cooperate are confirmed upfront. It also includes handling the administration, and simply having someone to talk to who listens when a mandate gets challenging. “You need a good partner by your side. Someone who treats you as an equal and understands the challenges of the business.”
A heartfelt thank you to Annett for her commitment and for openly sharing her insights. Our thanks also go to the Executive Interim Managers in our FS Partners pool, who achieve remarkable things for our clients every day.
FS Partners places experienced interim managers like Annett. Throughout the mandate, we support both our clients and the executives on assignment, from vetting through to completion.