CEO Performance

Shape a decade. Unlock high-end performance. Leading from the top is never routine.

RefineValue exclusively partners with CEOs and chairs during high-pressure periods — the first 100 days, activist scrutiny, complex mergers, deep restructurings or full-scale turnarounds. We never advise line operations, ensuring that our counsel is free of conflicts and focused on maximizing the CEO’s impact.

Our CEO Performance practice is backed by insights from hundreds of global CEO mandates. It blends rigorous 360° evaluations with actionable playbooks that

accelerate strategic decisions,
link short-term delivery to long-term value creation, and
keep investors, employees and boards fully engaged throughout the journey.

On average, our playbooks reduce CEO ramp-up time by 20 percent, increase EBITDA by five percentage points compared to peers in the first year, and boost employee engagement scores by 10–15 points.²

Set the pace. Lead the agenda. Win the competition.

CEO Performance Review, Evaluation & Benchmarking

How will we measure CEO performance in the future? No incentive system alone can motivate your CEO to make better decisions. Performance reviews and robust evaluations are crucial defenses against profit warnings, high turnover in executive management, and loss of reputation.

Are lagging indicators such as financial results the right indicators in these changing times, or do you need leading indicators to better evaluate CEO performance? We develop and implement comprehensive CEO performance reviews and evaluations to enhance the effectiveness of your CEO performance early warning system. Our approach includes designing transparent evaluation processes that engage boards and CEOs to ensure buy-in and clarity. We define and optimize objectives, methods, and criteria for effective CEO evaluation linked to your corporate strategy, and benchmark CEO performance against industry standards, peer groups, and best practices. Additionally, we link evaluation results to CEO compensation strategies, succession plans, and development plans to drive deep cultural change in the organization through the example of the CEO.

Protect reputation. Drive organizational success.

Are you leveraging your CEO performance for maximum impact? With no peers, immense pressure, and transparency at the highest level, the CEO role is unlike any other in a company.

With our expertise, your CEO’s tenure becomes a period of strategic advancement rather than a steep learning curve. Let’s ensure you not only survive the first 18 months but thrive, driving your organization to new heights from the outset. We partner with you to address the key factors, challenges, and pitfalls that contribute to your success as a CEO, whether you are seasoned or new to the role.

Our comprehensive CEO transition and performance advisory services help you navigate crucial decisions, build a high-performing leadership team, prepare for key moments, foster essential relationships, and stand by your side in difficult and challenging situations. Backed by decades of experience advising the CEOs of the world’s most respected organizations, we don’t just help them stay ahead — we support them in leading and transforming their industries.

Stay ambitious. Maximize impact. Turn your CEO tenure into a long-term success story.

CEO Transition &
CEO Performance Advisory

CEO Transformation Support

Transform or fall behind. Are you ready to navigate large-scale change? The best CEOs know that in today’s rapidly evolving business world, transformation is the key to lasting success. Unprecedented speed can make or break a business.

For CEOs facing the challenge of leading large-scale transformations, we offer comprehensive support to shape and guide the process. While each client’s starting point is unique, typical engagements include mergers and acquisitions (M&A), large-scale transformation, restructuring, portfolio value transformation, and organic growth. We work with you daily to provide strategic counsel as you navigate rapidly changing business challenges. We help define the overall aspiration, develop the high-impact change model needed to achieve it, clarify the roles of the CEO and top executive team in the transformation, and align and mobilize the organization to carry it out.

Lead and shape change. Turn challenges into triumphs.

Is your CEO compensation strategy driving performance? The impact of CEO performance on long-term value creation and business success is at an all-time high. There is increasing pressure from proxy advisors to make significant changes in CEO compensation strategies. We recognize that CEO compensation has become one of the most pressing issues for boards.

Simplifying and aligning CEO compensation with your company’s strategic vision is a key driver of long-term value creation and an opportunity to engage and build trust with your shareholders. Our approach centers on developing and optimizing compensation strategies that effectively translate your strategic vision into reality. While each client’s challenge in CEO compensation is unique, typical engagements include:

Align CEO compensation with corporate strategy and develop an integrated strategy-compensation process
Balancing short-term incentives “pay for performance” and long-term value creation “skin in the game”
Simplify complex CEO compensation structures
Evaluate and implement performance management systems
Bridging the gap between CEO performance and bonus payouts
Simplify performance metrics (targets and objectives)
Implementing forward-looking strategies for long-term bonus payouts
Developing CEO severance packages and retirement plans

We benchmark CEO compensation against industry standards and develop strategies that truly matter. By engaging stakeholders in the development process, we ensure buy-in and transparency. We design and structure compensation packages to align the interests of shareholders with those of the CEO. Our approach links performance metrics to the company’s overall strategies and goals, ensuring that CEOs focus on both short-term performance and long-term value creation. We also implement performance management systems to track progress and provide feedback.

Prepare to win. Set your compensation up for success.

CEO Compensation

C- Suite Success

Are you driving change or just keeping up?

Whether you are a first-time or seasoned CEO, your C-suite’s performance is one of the most critical factors in your companies’ performance and your success as a CEO.

That’s why we developed the 360° C-Suite Solution. This integrated solution consists of a C-suite evaluation to identify gaps, tools to enable alignment and get management on board, succession strategies, and customized transition programs.

We have partnered with numerous CEOs and chairmen of global companies through complex situations, successfully aligning their C-Suite composition with future strategic goals and enhancing C-Suite performance.

Enabling your success of tomorrow. Enhance C-suite impact.

Choosing the right leader? The one that will make – not break – your company’s future?

Every company goes through different cycles throughout its lifetime, and a different type of leader is needed for each one. A good succession strategy begins with a thorough evaluation of the company’s current stage, as well as its vision, strategy, structure, and culture. This evaluation defines the skills and criteria that really matter now.

The importance of strategic alignment and foresight in this pivotal decision cannot be overstated. Together, we will design a CEO succession plan aligned with your organization’s long-term goals.

Not A leader, THE right leader that makes the difference.

CEO Succession Strategy

CEO Development & Continuous Learning

Reflect. Learn. Perform. – and again. CEOs who are committed to personal development, continuous learning, and self-improvement significantly increase motivation within the organization and gain the trust of external stakeholders such as investors, customers, and regulators

The best CEOs are distinguished by their commitment to self-improvement and maximizing CEO performance. Be prepared for what comes next:

Building advisory boards: We craft advisory boards for CEOs that deliver independent insights, pioneering perspectives, and extensive networks to anticipate and navigate future opportunities and challenges.
CEO development plans: We design development plans and establish clear, measurable objectives for the CEO’s personal and professional growth. Our approach includes continuous assessment of progress through regular feedback and evaluation of set goals, and dynamic modification of the development plan based on received feedback and the changing needs of the organization.
Crisis simulations: Our in-depth crisis simulations prepare CEOs to effectively navigate through crises. Our realistic simulations address the most critical issues, including geopolitical risk, financial stability, reputation management, cybersecurity attacks, and data breaches.
Global network access: Our extensive global network allows us to provide access to world-class educational programs and peer learning groups. Discover the world’s most valuable educational programs, training, peer learning groups, and more.

Are you on the Path to Excellence?

CEO Performance Insights

CEO performance: Are you on the path to excellence? RefineValue is one of the world’s leading independent CEO advisory firms. Explore our latest insights and research on CEO performance and CEO excellence. Discover new perspectives that will help you shape a decade of high-end performance.