01« Everything goes through me. »
Decision
What to delegate first, to whom.
Deliverable
Dependency Index and twelve-month delegation plan.
A few weeks
Talent & Organisation
The value of an organisation is measured by what it can do without its leader.
Succession, governance, retention, leadership organisation: organisational decisions weigh the most over time and are the most often postponed. When the right profile is missing, we select it with you.
What we observe
168,000
Swiss SMEs concerned by a succession by the end of 2030 (extrapolation)
UBS / University of St. Gallen, 2026 study (survey of September 2025)
76%
of owners planning to transfer acknowledge that success depends heavily on the current owner or manager
UBS / University of St. Gallen, 2026 study
21%
of owners aged 66 to 90 did not yet have a transfer timetable
UBS / University of St. Gallen, 2026 study
The more detailed French market figures point the same way: 47% of family business leaders aged 60 to 69 have not formalised a succession plan (Bpifrance Le Lab).
What this changes
The gap between intention and action has less to do with the market than with preparation. An organisation that depends on one person transfers badly, finances badly and steers badly.
What you get
01
An organisation that holds for three months without its leader.
02
Critical roles with identified backups.
03
A succession plan that is written, dated and shared.
Six situations
Where you stand. How we step in.
01
02« My leadership team is not yet a team. »
Decision
Roles, decision rhythms, delegations.
Deliverable
Governance charter for the management committee.
A few weeks
03« A key person wants to leave. »
Decision
Retain, replace or back up.
Deliverable
Retention plan, identified backup (internal, or interim profile if needed), documented knowledge transfer.
Short engagement
04« I need to hire an executive (technical, financial, operations, country). »
Decision
The right profile, in the right governance.
Deliverable
Role definition and integration criteria, then, if you wish, Select a profile.
Short engagement
05« I am thinking of transferring in two to five years. »
Decision
Family, internal or external buyer.
Deliverable
Succession plan and transition governance.
One to two months
06« An acquisition is coming, two cultures are about to meet. »
Decision
Who stays, who leads, how to organise.
Deliverable
Assessment of the target team, target organisation, retention plan.
A few weeks
What we do: deciding (Frame)
- 01Measure dependency on the leader and on key people.
- 02Define the management committee and its delegations.
- 03Formalise the succession plan.
- 04Decide on the retention of critical people.
- 05Map critical know-how.
- 06Define the role and criteria of an executive to hire.
Our framework
The Dependency Index
For each critical person, four axes, one score, a substitution time in weeks and an alert threshold.
Decisions
Who decides.
Relationships
Who holds the key customers and partners.
Knowledge
Who alone knows.
Contracts
Which clauses are attached to a name.
Deliverable
A map of the people whose departure would put the organisation in difficulty, and what each departure would cost in continuity.
By size
SME · CHF 10 to 50M
The CEO is often the first salesperson and the first product decision-maker. Priority: delegate key customer relationships and document the ten critical processes.
Large mid-sized company · from CHF 50M
Family governance or shareholders. Priority: succession plan for the managing director and direct reports, nomination committee, role of the family.
By sector
Finance & Capital
Functions subject to regulatory approval or notification, where the holder’s departure triggers formalities.
Health & Life Sciences
Person responsible for regulatory compliance (PRRC, MDR) and quality manager: regulated functions with prepared succession.
Industry, Energy & Infrastructure
Tacit know-how of senior staff, clustered retirements, family businesses.
Commerce, Services & Customer Experience
Network managers, key accounts, retention of frontline managers.
Tech, Innovation & Public Sector
Single CTO, developers who hold the architecture.
Typical scenario · illustrative
Family company of CHF 140M, CEO aged 63, two children, neither wishing to lead. Within four weeks: Dependency Index (seven critical people), three succession scenarios compared, twenty-four-month transition calendar the family council can decide on.
What an AI tool will not do for you
An assistant drafts a job description. It does not hold the difficult conversation with the founder, does not arbitrate between two direct reports, and does not know what the family is not saying.
Implement
Implementing what was decided, through to acceptance.
- 01
Set up the target organisation: roles, governance and committees.
- 02
Roll out the succession and key-talent retention plan.
- 03
Lead appointments and executives taking up their posts.
- 04
Install the steering routines that keep the organisation running without us.
- 05
Lead the change: communication, adoption, follow-up of the teams concerned.
- 06
Transfer critical know-how to successors and backups.
Engagement modes: we deliver, we deliver with experts, or we coordinate experts of your choosing.
Select
Key and transition profiles, at every stage.
The right profile, at the right stageFor companies
- Select a profile
an executive or an expert the company needs on a lasting basis. We frame the need with you, then present selected profiles.
- Transition profiles
a finance, operations or project director, for a defined period. They arrive quickly and prepare their succession.
For candidates
Join the talent poolAt every stage
StageProfile sought
- Launch & StructuringFounding partner, product or technical lead
- Growth & ScaleSales, finance or operations director
- Restructuring & PivotTransition profile: finance, operations, turnaround
- Acquisition & External GrowthIntegration lead, site director
- Transfer & SuccessionDesignated successor, interim general management
Method in four steps
- Frame the need
- Map the market
- Select
- Integrate
Independence principle. Our organisational advice does not depend on a selection assignment, and vice versa.
What this page does not cover
Confidential scoping call
Thirty minutes with a named expert from our network, accountable for their scope. No commitment at this stage; terms follow the scoping call.
Measure your dependencyNewsletter · Built to Last
Market analysis, company lifecycles, lessons from the field. One letter, no prospecting.