Q&A with David Pillinger

David has held senior positions internationally in the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Belgium. He is now fully dedicated to freelance work as an interim CFO or Transformation Director. 

Recently Partner Interim placed David as CFO of the EMEA Region of Prenetics, an innovative international healthcare group.

The move to interim was completely unplanned. I left Zipcar when restructuring followed the company’s acquisition by Avis and had to look for another position.

Through the network of colleagues and contacts I had built up over my career I became involved in different assignments and projects for defined periods.  I enjoyed this way of working so much that I have stuck to it. I now deal very much with interim management providers, such as Partner Interim, who have access to excellent positions for interim professionals.

My permanent career was completely responsible for preparing me for being an interim! Clients want to buy the services of someone with experience and who is comfortable with what they are doing. That can only come from having experienced a permanent career with lots of change and variety.

I look to carry out interim assignments which I am comfortable to deliver expertly, and I am no longer looking to climb the corporate ladder. When a client looks to hire an interim manager, they are looking for a safe pair of hands either to “hold the fort” or undertake specific projects.

I am therefore not looking for new development experience and nor should a client expect to provide development opportunities to me. Why would they?  

Having said the above, we are always learning as professionals, and I have had the pleasure to work in new business sectors and to deepen my knowledge and experience of several finance related activities.

There are many challenges one comes across in one’s career, and it is difficult to name one specifically. 

However, anything that requires turnaround because of an approaching cliff-edge, or an unsustainable loss of profitability tends to be the most complex. This is because one is forced to break models one may have implemented and been comfortable with and because it often ends the participation in the business for some colleagues.

Gaining greater control of my life: choosing where to work next, defining the assignments I am comfortable with and enjoy delivering, benefiting from time in between assignments to undertake other activities and personal projects.

In respect to the last item, I would like to point out, however, that the time in between assignments can also be a very busy one professionally as one networks to identify one’s next assignment.

• To be at the stage in one’s life where regularity of income is not essential (there can be significant downtimes).
• To be a good networker.
• To have the ability to get “under the skin” of a new business or sector and form relationships and alliances quickly.
• …and specifically for many assignments I have undertaken, to have the ability to work away from base, often internationally on a full-time basis.

I am indifferent as long as the project fits into my capabilities and I can deliver an excellent service to the client. 

At the end of the day, you can’t be too choosy as an interim … often you do the job because a client has a short-term need and you happen to be available. We are one-man-bands, opportunities come and go, and we risk losing them if we don’t react quickly!

If you were to ask me, however, what could be on my wish-list for my next assignment, I would say that something in a wonderful location would be appreciated! I have in recent years had the pleasure of being based in Brussels, Barcelona and Verona on different interim assignments; three incredible cities to get to know and do business in. Paris, Rome or Madrid would be nice too!

If you are at the right stage of your career where you have amassed sufficient saleable experience and you feel you have the important qualities, I refer to above, you should consider interim. It has personally been a highly rewarding way of life for me, which benefits also from time off to pursue other activities between assignments.

After years of working in corporate structures, rising up the ladder and gaining experience, a move into interim brings you the joy of frequently experiencing new sectors, meeting and working with new professionals and realising that experience gives you versatility and clarity of vision which you sometimes lose sight of within a fixed corporate structure.

Partner Interim were superbly attentive during the recruitment process, during the delivery of the assignment, with frequent “check-ins” and discussions about possible additional hiring needs, and thereafter exploring new opportunities. 

As a professional, I have felt valued by Partner Interim.