In phases with high decision-making and time pressure, every minute counts. When key roles in finance, operations, or project management are vacant, implementation becomes a risk—in times of crisis, but also during growth, transformation, or transition phases. In such situations, tailor-made interim and executive search solutions bring targeted leadership experience and implementation expertise to the company. They create additional certainty by clearly anchoring responsibility, driving decisions forward, and confidently involving relevant stakeholders. The decisive factor here is not only the speed of recruitment, but also the ability to actually make an impact in challenging phases.
In this interview, Anne Rienecker, head of enomyc's new People Advisory business unit, and managing director Julia Hammer explain how they support medium-sized companies with their services and why even the best interim manager is not a “jack of all trades.
Ms. Hammer, enomyc has repeatedly filled interim positions in the context of projects in the past. Why have you now established a separate business unit dedicated to these issues?
Julia Hammer: Because the market clearly shows that strategies only take effect when they are implemented consistently. For us, People Advisory is therefore not an add-on, but a central component of successful consulting services. At the same time, we are now positioned to offer the necessary speed and quality to fill key positions quickly and accurately. This is an approach that we now use in a structured and repeated manner.
Anne Rienecker: Especially in challenging situations—whether restructuring, transformation, or periods of strong growth—companies need to have someone on board who can lead, motivate, and retain people within the company. In our experience, this is an enormously important factor. Accordingly, we take great care to ensure that the people we deploy are not only professionally suited to the task, but also able to deal confidently with the respective situation, culture, and relevant stakeholders.
Julia Hammer: Our clients expect results – and they expect them quickly. In critical phases, it is important to take responsibility and implement decisions consistently. If a key function fails or additional implementation capacity is needed, it makes sense to bring in targeted experience for a clearly defined period of time. We therefore don't just fill positions – we ensure the ability to act in challenging business situations.
Does your offer only apply to acute crises – or also to companies in growth or transformation phases?
Anne Rienecker: Deliberately beyond that as well. We are often called in when key roles are vacant, when programs stall, or when companies need additional leadership and structure at short notice – for example, in ERP or carve-out projects, during phases of strong growth, or in succession and transition situations. The need is particularly evident in restructuring, but the principle is broader: it's about rapid effectiveness in business-critical functions.
Julia Hammer: And that fits in well with our DNA: we combine an understanding of exceptional business situations with a clear focus on implementation – regardless of whether a company is currently undergoing a turnaround or “only” needs to stabilize a key role.
In your experience, where do companies in difficult situations have the biggest gaps?
Anne Rienecker: The gaps are particularly large in functions that combine control, transparency, and implementation. These include finance, controlling, and reporting in particular, but also operations, project and program management, and central roles at the management level. It always becomes critical when key people leave the company during a sensitive phase and responsibilities have to be redistributed at short notice.
Julia Hammer: In such situations, a company's focus changes fundamentally. Day-to-day business takes a back seat because other issues suddenly take priority. This is when you need people who can focus specifically on getting through this phase and who have already done so successfully on multiple occasions – including in dealing with financiers, owners, or advisory boards.
Why is it that medium-sized companies in particular often lack these capacities in-house?
Julia Hammer: Because these are very specific skills that are rarely required in normal day-to-day business. In challenging phases, decisions become faster, more complex, and in some cases relevant to liability. This requires certainty, structure, and experience in implementation. Many medium-sized companies are strong in normal operations – but in exceptional situations, additional temporary clout is needed.
Anne Rienecker: And because it's not just about expertise. It's about stabilizing teams, providing leadership, setting priorities, and at the same time keeping day-to-day operations running as smoothly as possible. This combination is rare—and that's exactly why interim and hybrid models are so effective.
Where do these experienced specialists and managers come from?
Anne Rienecker: enomyc has over 20 years of experience. We draw on a curated network of experienced executives and specialists whom we know personally and have seen in action in similar contexts. The specific context is always crucial: industry, company phase, stakeholder structure, and corporate culture. On this basis, we make very targeted recommendations for individuals who can make an impact in precisely this situation.
Julia Hammer: It is also important to note that the experts we deploy do not work in isolation. In critical phases, we at enomyc are available in the background for sparring—for example, in finance, legal, or operations. Traditional interim recruiters cannot offer this kind of interdisciplinary sparring.
How quickly can a position be filled?
Anne Rienecker: That depends on the model. Depending on the role, we can often implement interim solutions within a few days because we have access to verified profiles. For direct placements, we are usually talking about a few months. Speed is a key added value because critical functions remain operational without companies having to commit themselves prematurely.
You offer various options. What are they?
Anne Rienecker: We basically work with three models: short-term interim solutions, permanent direct placements, and the deployment of complete interim teams. These teams can provide targeted support for individual functions, such as finance, project management, or transformation. In many cases, a hybrid approach has proven successful: short-term stabilization through interim solutions, parallel to the structured development of a permanent solution.
When does the assignment of your experts end?
Julia Hammer: When the organization can once again handle the tasks at hand independently and with the desired stability—and the set goals have been achieved. In financing contexts, this is often based on the restructuring or transformation period.
Anne Rienecker: It is important to us that the handover goes smoothly: knowledge, processes, responsibilities. Otherwise, filling a position quickly may be helpful, but it does not create lasting stability.
What distinguishes enomyc from traditional recruitment agencies?
Anne Rienecker: People Advisory at enomyc is not a traditional personnel service. We think in terms of the mandate and from the perspective of all relevant stakeholders – companies, financing partners, and management. Restructuring and transformation are our daily business. This experience and knowledge flows directly into our recommendations.
Julia Hammer: Another difference lies in our integrated understanding of the situation, role, and target vision. We don't fill isolated positions, but anchor responsibility along the specific transformation or stabilization situation of a company. This not only provides short-term relief, but also a solution that is structurally compatible and sustainably effective.
Is the trend generally moving toward interim staffing?
Anne Rienecker: We clearly see that companies are increasingly relying on flexible staffing models—especially when additional management or implementation capacity is needed at short notice. At the same time, it is important to understand that an interim manager is not an all-knowing solution for everything. Rather, they are a guide who takes responsibility, prioritizes, and organizes implementation.
Julia Hammer: The background is structural: Companies today are more often faced with parallel transformation requirements – operational, financial, and organizational. This dynamic cannot always be accommodated with existing structures alone. Flexible, temporary management and implementation capacities are therefore a strategic tool for ensuring the ability to act in phases of increased complexity.
Ms. Hammer, Ms. Rienecker, thank you very much for the interview.
