Public sector · Municipalities & bodies
Half the leadership is retiring — and the succession isn’t filled.
Municipalities and public bodies face the same question as any portfolio company: find the right leadership before the gap becomes a risk. Except there’s no exit clock here — the operating capability of an administration is at stake.
The situation
Leadership gaps in the public sector are predictable — yet rarely planned for
The demographic shift is no surprise. What’s missing is a structured framework that treats succession as lead time, not reaction.
Demographic exit
The baby-boomer cohorts leave the top of the administration almost simultaneously. Experience walks out before it’s handed over.
Competition for talent
The public sector competes with the private sector for the same leadership profiles — under tighter constraints and slower processes.
Vacancy as risk
More than 150 days without leadership means stalled projects, investments and citizen services — a risk that can be quantified.
The Talent Triangle for the public sector
Search, Assessment and Transition — applied to administration and public bodies
The same integrated approach as in the PE world, adapted to public-sector logic: one interface instead of many providers, with a consistent assessment framework.
Find the right leadership
Targeted search for leaders who can make the move from the private sector into public service — or take the next step within the administration. Discreet, and with an understanding of public structures.
Make suitability objective
Leadership diagnostics (AON, Hogan for complex cases) create a robust, defensible decision basis — precisely where appointment decisions must be justified.
Effective in the first year
A structured onboarding with a 100-day corridor ensures new leaders become capable quickly — in concert with council, administration and stakeholders.
From the region, for the region
I know the structures from the inside
As Race Director of the Abendlauf Hamminkeln and head of triathlon at Hamminkelner SV, I’ve worked for years where public engagement, volunteering and administration meet. I know how decisions form in the public sphere — and what it takes for leadership to hold there.
Where does your leadership succession stand?
Whether a concrete vacancy or forward-looking succession planning — a confidential conversation clarifies where the gap sits and how to close it. 45 minutes, no pitch.