Senior managers, for hire
In the spring of 2006, Permolex Ltd. was in need of executive help.
The general manager of its Red Deer plant — where ethanol, flour, gluten and livestock feed is produced — had left and there wasn’t an obvious successor.
Other businesses in this position might have embarked on a frantic search for a permanent replacement. Permolex opted to bring in Bill Churchward on a temporary basis.
With a resume that included senior management positions with the likes of the Alberta Research Council and Canada Malting Co., the Calgary resident was amply qualified for the position. And over the next year and a half, he guided the operations of the plant, identified and groomed a Permolex employee for the general manager’s position, and then quietly departed.
Churchward works with The Osborne Group, a network of senior executives who contract their management skills to companies in need.
“We have all had 20 years-plus experience in senior management at an executive level in industry,” he said.
Clients are often small or medium-sized enterprises that lack the resources to address specific management challenges, said Churchward.
They may be growing faster than existing management can support, have a short-term need or one that doesn’t justify the hiring of a full-time executive, or have unexpectedly lost a key employee.
By bringing in a temporary executive, the organization pays only for the time that person is needed, it avoids the recruitment, severance and other costs associated with hiring a permanent employee, and it gains immediate access to a seasoned manager, said Churchward.
“Because we’re senior executives, we can hit the ground running.”
The concept of interim management has been popular in Europe for years, he said, but has been slower to catch on in Canada.
“As much as anything, it’s an awareness,” suggested Churchward, pointing out that filling lower-level positions on a temporary contract basis has long been a common practice here.
Founded in Toronto in 1993, The Osborne Group now has offices in a half-dozen other cities in Canada, including Calgary and Edmonton. They operate independently but work closely together, said Churchward.
In Western Canada, The Osborne Group has about 25 senior managers — or “principals” — for hire.
They come from a broad range of industries, but each has extensive experience in one or more key areas like executive management, financial management, human resources, operations, business development (marketing and sales), information technology, corporate development and as executive advisers.
Many have joined The Osborne Group as a transition to retirement, said Churchward, but all are still “active, vital executives.”
Although contracted to clients temporarily or on a part-time basis — typically for less than a year — each is fully engaged in the operations of that organization.
“In many cases, we carry a business card that identifies us as a member of the client’s management team,” he pointed out.
Churchward, who is 60, joined The Osborne Group in 2003. He likes the variety of work he is exposed to as an interim manager and the opportunity to see how different businesses “tick.”
“No matter how much experience you bring to the table, you’re always learning.”
A number of Central Alberta businesses could probably benefit from a relationship with The Osborne Group, said Churchward, who is talking to several prospective clients in the area.
He also thinks there are experienced managers in the region who would make good principals with The Osborne Group. The organization, he said, is always looking for senior executives to join its ranks.
“Certainly in the last few years our business has been subjected to the same kinds of demands as every other business, in terms of people being hard to find and retain.”
Occasionally, said Churchward, clients will persuade a principal with The Osborne Group to join them on a permanent basis.
“But that’s not our business model,” he said, adding that most principals are not interested in occupying one desk for the long term.
“Most of us prefer to work on a contract basis and be able to move in and out.”
Additional information about The Osborne Group can be found online at www.osborne-group.com.
Contact Harley Richards at hrichards@reddeeradvocate.com
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