Maria Josife is a partner at Erevena, a leading executive search firm working with clients like Zoom, Asana, Airtable, Intercom, Cleo and hundreds of others. Maria specialises in CEO and C-suite appointments in VC-backed tech companies.
By virtue of her work in executive search, Maria has seen more CEO transitions from the inside than most investors. In this conversation, she shares what works and what doesn’t during the delicate process of CEO change in a startup.
Enjoy the conversation!
Timestamps
(Clickable on YouTube)
00:00 Introduction
01:32 About Erevena
04:15 The Complexities of CEO Succession in Venture-Backed Startups
08:50 Replacing vs Augmenting a Founder CEO
11:01 Starting the Conversation Early
16:19 The Timeline and Process for a Smooth CEO Transition
22:41 The Role of Coaches, Chairs, and Non-Execs in CEO Succession
26:17 Hire Right to Remain as CEO
33:50 The Drivers of Success of CEO Change
37:17 The Risks of Hiring with Intent to Promote to CEO
39:58 First-time CEOs vs Experienced CEOs
42:14 Insiders vs Outsiders
44:12 What Happens to Founder CEOs After They Step Down
47:36 Advice for Founders And Investors
56:38 Key Takeaways
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