(334) Interim

Sep 21, 2025

Duncan Stott, an interim CIO and host of The Interim, dives into the fast-paced world of interim management. He explains how the role of the CIO has evolved post-COVID and amid AI disruption. Outsiders often earn instant respect, which can be a unique advantage. Duncan discusses the urgency of interim roles, where swift assessments are essential, often within five days. He highlights the balance of empathy and quick decision-making, as well as practical strategies for securing interim positions, like leveraging agency connections and preparing effective CVs.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Work In Abidjan Fueled Regional Growth Plans

Duncan described working in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, as part of developing regional operations.
He praised local talent and the country as a beacon of stability and opportunity.

INSIGHT

Outsiders Get Unfairly Amplified Respect

Organisations often listen more to outsiders because a labelled interim carries assumed expertise and authority.
That respect comes from human nature, not individual superiority.

ADVICE

Choose Interim Only If You Crave Repeatable High-Stakes Work

Do consider interim work if you have deep confidence in a discipline and enjoy variety and repeatable delivery.
Embrace the high-risk/high-reward trade-off and the international or sector variety it brings.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Welcome back to the WB 40 Podcast! In this episode (334), Chris and Julia sit down with special guest Duncan Stott, an interim CIO extraordinaire, to really dive into the high-stakes world of interim management. We explore how the role of the CIO has completely changed, especially since COVID brought tech to the forefront and now with the massive focus on AI disruption. Duncan shares a fascinating insight: interims often benefit from a “quirk of human nature” where organisations listen to them more and offer more respect than their own permanent team, because the outsider is brought in with a specific label to perform a defined job. The decision to become an interim is often driven by a crisis, appealing to leaders who have high confidence in their discipline, crave variety, embrace the high-risk/high-reward aspect of the career, and know they can deliver results repeatedly across different sectors. These roles are urgent, sometimes requiring someone to start within two weeks, typically to handle M&A, an ERP project, or fill a gap left when a permanent CIO is “released”.

But this career choice is definitely not for the faint-hearted, as Chris points out. Unlike permanent staff who might get 100 days to find their footing, an interim typically has to move incredibly fast, often expected to deliver their initial assessment or view within the first five days. This intense pressure requires interims to constantly focus on succession planning and ensuring they leave the situation ready to be handed over to a “grateful client”. Crucially, success requires balancing speed with empathy, especially since the permanent teams often feel “bruised and wounded or bewildered” by previous organizational changes. Duncan highlights the goal of leaving a “double legacy”: achieving the technical delivery while also coaching and mentoring the permanent team to leave the people in a better state. Sustaining this self-employed path requires tremendous effort: you have to treat it as a business, aggressively self-market, build authentic, respectful relationships with a “good handful” of headhunters, and meticulously prepare for interviews—which interims might practice a dozen times a year to stay sharp.

You can find Duncan’s own podcast, The Interim, at https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-interim/id1787889240 or https://open.spotify.com/show/6ylPRtkqWOQWrmfyStQWjA?si=137a1966e4cc4efb