Executive-level cover,
for a defined window
When your CPO or Head of People has left, is on leave, or the seat has just been created, cover keeps the function running with senior weight while you decide what comes next.
Who this is for
1.
Businesses whose CPO has left
You need someone to hold the function, not caretake it, while recruitment runs.
2.
Covering senior parental leave
You want the work to keep moving forward while your leader is out.
3.
Newly created CPO roles
The foundations need to be laid before a permanent hire is asked to inherit them.
4.
Mid-transformation programmes
Continuity at the top of the people function matters while the change is still underway.
Full accountability. I take the seat, sit at the executive table, and run the function as if it were mine.
Direct leadership of your HR team. Not backseat advice.
Executive reporting, board updates, and the difficult conversations, taken on my shoulders.
A well-briefed handover to your permanent hire when the time comes, including a shortlist of what to protect, what to change, and what is still open.
What you get
The engagement is time-bound from the start. You know what the window is, what I own inside it, and what a successful handover looks like.
I spend the first weeks getting a clear read on the function so nothing is running on assumption. What I hand over to your permanent hire is a shortlist of what to protect, what to change, and what is still open, so they inherit clarity, not chaos.
How it works
“Tell me the shape of the window you need to cover, and what has to hold together inside it”
Sarah McLeod - Founder SMP&C