turnaroundceo.biz
Cost
01

What it costs to hire a turnaround CEO.

Direct answer first. If you are looking to hire or find a turnaround CEO, an intensive mandate runs roughly €1,500 to €3,500 per day, or €25,000 to €55,000 per month, depending on scope, urgency and travel.

Bands
Band 01

Light

€1,500–€2,000 / day
~€25–35k / month

Two to three days a week. Coaching the CEO, owning specific work-streams, weekly board cadence.

Band 02

Intensive

€2,000–€3,000 / day
~€35–50k / month

Four to five days a week. CEO seat, full P&L. The default for active turnarounds.

Band 03

Crisis

€3,000–€3,500+ / day
~€50–60k+ / month

Full-time, on site, fast travel. Cash-runway critical, decisions every day, board calls every week.

What moves the price
  • → Scope of authority
  • → Urgency and timeline
  • → Travel and on-site time
  • → Size of the company
  • → Complexity of the cap table
  • → Board reporting cadence
  • → Number of markets
  • → Performance-linked element

Performance-linked components are common. Often a portion of the fee is tied to EBITDA recovery or a defined milestone. We agree the structure in the intro call. For lighter, fractional engagements see ceofractional.com, coofractional.com, temporarymanager.work or fractionalmanager.pro.

Discuss your situation
People also ask
04

What buyers ask about price.

Q01Is hiring a turnaround CEO cheaper than a permanent CEO?+
For a six to twelve month recovery, yes. A permanent CEO carries base salary, bonus, benefits, LTIP, notice period and severance risk. An interim turnaround CEO invoices only for the mandate, no post-mandate cost.
Q02Are performance-linked fees typical?+
Yes. Common structure is a base day rate plus a success fee tied to EBITDA recovery, cash generation or a defined milestone at day 180. The base covers the work, the success fee aligns the operator with the outcome.
Q03What is included in the day rate?+
The operator time, board reporting, on-site work in Milano and Roma, and the weekly cadence. Travel outside Italy and specialist advisors, when needed, are billed separately at cost.
Q04Do you invoice through a company or personally?+
Through my operating company, with a European VAT number. Standard commercial contract, thirty-day payment terms, monthly invoicing. Works for SMEs, PE portfolio companies and multinational subsidiaries.
Q05Can we start with a lower-intensity engagement?+
Yes for coaching or specific work-streams, at the Light band. No for a real turnaround. If cash is bleeding and the market is closing, part-time attention does not fix it. The Intensive band exists for a reason.
Q06What is the payback on a turnaround CEO fee?+
For a company at €20M revenue with a 5-point EBITDA gap to plan, that is €1M a year. A €300k mandate that closes half of that gap pays back in six months. Every case is different, but the math is usually decisive.