Emma Combe

speaker

323 appearances 4 recordings 1 series first heard Jan 2026 last heard 9 Sep

Emma Combe’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 4 in all, peaking in Sep 2026 with 1.

Appearances

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Redefiners · Leadership Lounge: How to Succeed as an Interim CEO · 15 Jul 2026 podcast

Thanks, Emma.

It's great to be here.

Amy, are there any other factors at play here when thinking about the rise in interim appointments?

That surprises me, Amy, and it's not actually something that I'm seeing as much with my clients.

I think the CEO role is still very much coveted.

But what I often see happen is that the board is actively developing leaders, but when an unexpected CEO departure occurs, the board has to weigh up whether their internal candidate is ready enough.

And oftentimes they suggest that if it was in one to two years time, the gaps would be smaller or whether they need to opt for an external CEO who, of course, represents a significant risk, but might be a better solution for the business.

I'd now like to welcome back our third guest into the lounge.

Justice O'Brien is a leadership advisor at Russell Reynolds Associates New York office.

Justice, welcome to the Leadership Lounge.

So, Justice, what makes the interim CEO role fundamentally different from a permanent CEO position?

And what are some of the common challenges?

You're absolutely right, Justice.

You don't have the luxury of setting aside several months to listen and learn before acting.

You have to absorb information quickly, make decisions without complete information, and communicate confidently even when you're still building your understanding of the business.

I actually heard a helpful anecdote today about how an interim leader is being supported by their key stakeholder.

And

that the key stakeholder feels they should be executing upon.

I thought it was a really interesting and very sensible approach.

I also imagine that alongside the time pressures, the mindset pressure will magnify for interim CEOs.

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