When the Business Needs to Change Course, Leadership Is the Starting Point

A business under pressure does not suffer from a lack of analysis. It suffers from a lack of decisive action. When performance has deteriorated, when costs have outpaced revenues, or when a structural change is unavoidable, what the organisation needs most is a leader who can assess the situation clearly, make the hard calls quickly, and rebuild confidence from the inside out.

Kitsune Advisory provides interim CEO leadership for restructuring and turnaround situations — bringing the operational experience and the independence to do what needs to be done.

When Does This Apply?

Situations Where We Are Called In

Financial underperformance

Revenue is declining, margins are under pressure, or the business is consuming cash without a credible path to profitability. The current leadership has not been able to reverse the trend.

Operational breakdown

Processes are failing, key people are leaving, and the organisation has lost the discipline and clarity it needs to function. Performance issues have become structural.

Post-acquisition disappointment

An acquisition has not delivered as expected. The acquired business is underperforming against the investment thesis, and the parent company needs an experienced executive to assess why and intervene decisively.

Creditor or investor pressure

Banks, investors, or shareholders are losing confidence and pressing for change. An independent executive — with no prior relationship with the current management — can restore credibility and act without internal constraint.

A crisis that requires immediate stabilisation

A reputational event, a regulatory issue, a key client departure, or a sudden financial deterioration has created an acute situation. The business needs someone in the chair who has managed crises before.

How We Work

Our Approach to Restructuring and Turnaround

Rapid diagnostic — the first two to three weeks

We do not spend months on analysis. Within the first weeks, we conduct a structured assessment of the business: its financial position, its operational model, its people, and its key relationships. We form a clear view of what is working, what is not, and what must change.

A short list of decisive actions

Turnarounds are not won through comprehensive transformation programmes. They are won through a small number of high-impact decisions made quickly. We identify those decisions and take them — with full accountability.

Honest communication with stakeholders

Creditors, investors, employees, and clients all need to understand what is happening and why. We manage that communication directly — transparently where possible, carefully where necessary — to maintain confidence and cooperation during the restructuring process.

Cost and revenue intervention

Where financial performance is the core issue, we act on both sides of the P&L — addressing structural cost inefficiencies while rebuilding the revenue-generating capability of the business.

People and organisational clarity

Underperforming businesses often have unclear accountability, misaligned teams, or the wrong people in the wrong roles. We address this directly and humanely — making the changes that need to be made while preserving the talent and culture that is worth keeping.

Transition to sustainable leadership

A turnaround is not finished when the crisis is resolved. It is finished when the business is positioned for sustained performance under new or refreshed leadership. We build towards that endpoint from the first week.

Independence as a Structural Advantage

Why an External Interim CEO Is Often the Right Choice for a Restructuring

Restructuring is one of the most politically charged situations a business can face. Internal managers are constrained by relationships, history, and self-interest. Boards are often too close to the situation — or too removed from operations — to drive the change themselves.

An interim CEO from outside the organisation carries none of that baggage. We have no prior relationships to protect within the business. We are not competing for the permanent role. We are not managing a personal brand within the industry. We are focused entirely on the outcome of the mandate.

This independence is not just an advantage — in genuinely difficult restructuring situations, it is often the only way the necessary decisions get made at all.

Working Alongside Advisors

A Collaborative Approach to Complex Situations

Restructuring situations typically involve multiple advisors: legal counsel, financial advisors, insolvency practitioners, and sometimes regulators. We work alongside these advisors as the operational and executive lead — ensuring that the legal and financial strategy translates into operational reality, and that the business continues to function while the restructuring is underway.

We are not a restructuring advisory firm. We are operators. That distinction matters: we run the business, we lead the people, and we take responsibility for the outcomes — not just the recommendations.