Supporting the interim community: what we’ve delivered over the past 12 months

Periods of economic uncertainty often create both challenge and opportunity for interim leaders.

At the start of 2025, the Institute of Interim Management survey pointed to a community feeling nervous about the year ahead, with many anticipating a more polarised market. That uncertainty has real emotional and practical implications for people working independently.

As we stand today, 63% of respondents to a recent Tile Hill poll report similar or improved confidence in interim demand. This reflects our data around demand and the sentiments from discussions with clients on how the political, economic and policy landscape continues to shape recruitment needs. For many, the year has been one of transition as people reflect on the mix of work they are seeking, employment type, and how they pivot their offer to meet demand and recruitment needs.

Against this backdrop, we wanted to reflect on the commitments we made to our interim community following last year’s IIM survey, and how we have delivered on them over the past 12 months.

1. Increasing the level of communication

One of the clearest messages we heard last year was that interims wanted more insight, more context and more honest conversation about what we are seeing in the market and how we can support them to secure roles.

Over the last 12 months, we have shared more frequent market updates and written more insight pieces on how policy and funding are affecting interim demand. We have run webinars focused on what is actually changing, from policy reform and devolution to leadership in digital change and the evolving expectations of boards and senior teams. 

We launched the Tile Hill podcast to create space for longer-form conversations and increased the number of webinars for both new and experienced interims. All with the aim of creating more opportunities for interims to stay connected to Tile Hill and to each other.

2. Making the interim community more inclusive

We believe leadership teams should reflect the communities they serve, and that organisations benefit from the diversity of experience within their workforce.

Over the last year, we have continued to explore how barriers appear in recruitment, how pay disparity persists and what practical steps can help shift these challenges. We have reflected on our own recruitment practices, the diversity of our workforce and the role we can play in making interim work more accessible.

We have written about:

• negotiating fair rates for interims
• shared thinking on reasonable adjustments in interviews
• and opened access for interims to our leadership development programme for aspirant Directors from the Global Majority.

3. Strengthening relationships with our interim community

Relationships are fundamental to our work. We are proud of the role we play in supporting those who shape the society we live in, and we are committed to relationships built on integrity, trust and ambition.

Tile Hill’s success is closely aligned with the success of our interim community. Over the last year we have invested more time in building relationships with the people we work with, including adding capacity within our teams to support this.

We have also run more community events, roundtables and subject-specific webinars to create space for interims to connect with peers, share challenges and learn from each other.

I am pleased this has resulted in a Net Promoter Score of 89 for the year, placing us at the forefront of the industry for candidate support and experience.

4. Supporting career transitions

Periods of uncertainty often cause people to reflect on their relationship with work.

For example, we know that reorganisation across local government has created heightened levels of anxiety around people’s careers. During times like these, some choose to move into interim work, others return to permanent roles, move into portfolio careers or decide to retire.

To support people through these transitions, we have shared insight and guidance for those moving into the interim world, those seeking permanent roles and those building NED portfolios. We have also written about how to recognise when it might be time to step away from an interim contract.

Change and uncertainty can create stress for many reasons. Over the past year we have also talked openly about resilience, self care and burnout.

The passion to support people as they navigate their careers is something that unites everyone at Tile Hill. I hope you have experienced this care, empathy and support over the past 12 months.

I feel privileged to speak with many people about their experiences working with Tile Hill, and my diary is always open to those who want to share feedback or insight.

5. Responding to feedback

Listening only matters if it leads somewhere.

Over the last year, we’ve embedded a customer experience process that captures feedback from interims we work with. Everyone who enters a recruitment process with us is invited to share feedback, and the themes are discussed regularly at Board level. This helps us understand where we are doing well and where we need to improve.

We have also started sharing more openly what we are hearing, what we are learning and what we are changing as a result. Many interims remain concerned about future demand and how geopolitical, economic and policy pressures are shaping the market. We do not have all the answers, but we do believe in having honest conversations about what we are seeing and how we can work better together.

6. Sharing practical guidance and insight

We committed to sharing more practical guidance for people at different stages of their interim journey.

Over the past year we have run webinars and published guides on topics including:

• setting up as an interim
• networking effectively
• preparing for interviews
• getting the most from feedback
• and managing the pressures that come with demanding leadership roles.

If there are topics you would like to see us explore further, please let us know.

We have launched a series of Ask Me Anything webinars, giving interims the opportunity to speak directly with our team and experienced interim leaders about the questions that matter most to them. The first Ask Me Anything session is on 1st April at 11:30am with myself, Kathryn Reed and Andy Vaughan, a seasoned Interim Director.

You can register here, and drop in and ask us your questions.

7. Helping interims tailor their CVs

Standing out in a competitive market is increasingly important.

A theme from last year’s survey was the importance of being clear about your offer, what makes you suited to a particular role and the achievements that demonstrate your impact.

I was surprised by how few interims reported being asked to tailor their CVs by recruiters, as I believe this is an important part of supporting candidates to perform well in a recruitment process.

Over the last year we have spent more time helping interims tailor their CVs for specific roles. We have also worked to improve the quality of briefs we receive from clients so that interims have greater clarity about what organisations are looking for.

Through Microsoft Bookings, interims can also book time directly with our team to discuss CVs, positioning and how to present themselves effectively in a crowded market.

8. Sharing updates on legislative changes

There are two significant pieces of legislation that will affect the interim community in the coming year.

The first is the increased regulation of umbrella companies. For those who have worked with Tile Hill previously, our standards and processes have always meant that approved umbrella companies are selected following rigorous assessment. We have strengthened this approach for the year ahead and will shortly be sharing more guidance on what to expect and what interims should be aware of.

We have also been closely following the progress of the Employment Rights Act as it moves through legislation. It is likely to have an impact on interim demand, contract length and the mix of inside IR35 and outside IR35 work.

Over the coming months we will be sharing further insight and hosting webinars to help the interim community understand these changes and what they may mean in practice.

Looking ahead

It has been a positive 12 months at Tile Hill, though not without its challenges.

I am especially proud of the work we have done to support leaders across the public and not for profit sectors. As we have grown as a business, we have been able to support a wider range of leaders as they navigate their careers. Our reach has expanded across local government, social housing, civil society, central government and board recruitment. This means we now have more opportunities to connect interims with organisations that need experienced leadership.

Demand for interim support continues to grow, particularly where organisations need experienced professionals who can step in quickly, bring clarity and add value from day one. Clients are increasingly clear about the contribution interims make and the flexibility that experienced interim leaders provide during periods of change.

Our success is closely linked to yours. That is why we will continue to listen, share what we are seeing in the market and show up as partners for those on assignment, between roles or thinking about what comes next.

If you want to stay connected, visit our website, follow us on LinkedIn or book time with our team to discuss your next move.

And if your experience over the past year has differed from what is outlined here, I would genuinely welcome hearing from you.

Speak soon,

Anthony

Tile Hill is proud to have been ranked No.1 Interim Service Provider in the 2026 Institute of Interim Management (IIM) Survey, reflecting the strength of our relationships with the interim community and the experience we bring to supporting public sector organisations through leadership change. We were also delighted to see one of our consultants, Nik Shah, ranked as the leading ISP consultant, with Dino Christodolou also recognised within the top-ranked consultants, highlighting the impact of the individuals our interims work with day to day. These results matter because they come directly from the interim community. They reflect our commitment to working as trusted partners to both clients and interims, delivering a thoughtful, thorough and high-quality experience at every stage of the process.