Brief history of Interim Management in Portugal

The concept and practice of Interim Management in Portugal first emerged within the scope of Expo’98, an international event held in Lisbon in the 90s, through KPMG, a Dutch consultancy that played a fundamental role in providing a team of professionals highly qualified to deal with the complex management challenges associated with an event of such magnitude.

After the success of Expo’98, some companies began to realize the potential of Interim Management to offer quick and effective solutions in times of need or change in organizations, in line with the movement of dissemination and adoption that was already taking place in the largest European economies. developed. In 2000, “Boyden”, a global recruitment and executive consultancy company, launched the BIM (Boyden Interim Management) Project in Portugal. This project was led by Rui Serapicos, who would later launch “Acumen” in 2009, one of the four companies providing Interim Management services currently active in the Portuguese market, in addition to “Easytalent”, “Experienced Management” and “Folgares Capital”. .

In May 2010, Exame Magazine published an article highlighting this management solution. The article presented the benefits and growing importance of Interim Management for Portuguese companies, especially in times of transition, restructuring or change of strategy.

In September 2018, “Experienced Management” was launched on the market, an Interim Management platform that developed a partnership with the Swiss BrainForce. In October 2019, “Easytalent” emerged, which would create a community of Professionals that served as a recruitment base for the first Management Team and the first Associates of AIM – Associação Interim Management Portugal, founded in January 2021. Also worth mentioning is a another Interim Management Service Provider, “Folgares Capital”, in operation since 2003.

AIM was created on the initiative of the 4 Interim Management providers already mentioned and by a group of Professionals interested in the solution, with a view to improving the notoriety and visibility of the tool, giving a more institutional component to the movement that was being created in for the dissemination of IM and lead the creation of an ecosystem that integrates Companies, Professionals, IM Providers, Business Associations, Chambers of Commerce, Professional Orders, Government Entities, Academia, Foundations, Media and other “stakeholders”. Rui Serapicos is the first and current President of the Association.

After the first two AIM Conferences were held in Lisbon, with the support of the European University, the 2024 Conference will predictably take place in the 4th quarter, in the heart of a reference Association, the AEP – Associação Empresarial de Portugal, together of its Associates, in line with the elevation of 2024 to the category of “Year of IM in Companies, in Portugal”.

It is also worth highlighting the pioneering role of the weekly “Vida Económica”, which since the beginning of the year has provided AIM with a monthly dissemination space, through the section “A Hora do Interim Management”.

It is also worth mentioning the collaboration we have maintained with the media and various entities, within the scope of disseminating content about Interim Management.

In March, AIM was present at an Open Class at the European University, within the scope of the HR Management Course, on a day to raise awareness among the country’s future People Management Directors and PALOPS.

The trajectory of Interim Management in Portugal is a story of evolution and resilience and adaptation to challenging contexts, showing a growing dynamic, witnessing the increasing availability of an increasing number of Professionals, and the entry of new players is also expected.

Traditional Human Resources Consultants have an important role to play in the development of the market, as they are able to offer in Portugal, what they already offer in geographies where Interim Management is a structured market, with a Demand, made up of Companies and an Offer , made up of qualified professionals.

The future of Interim Management in Portugal looks promising, with the potential to grow as companies face increasingly complex challenges, in an environment of increasing uncertainty and volatility.

Access to qualified and experienced professionals, combined with the ability to quickly integrate them into key functions, added to the flexibility that this solution provides, can help organizations, regardless of size and sector of activity, to prosper and grow in a fast-paced business environment. Constant change.

Paulo Jorge | Vice President of AIM and Managing Partner of EasyTalent