FractionalFRACTIONAL|MANILA
Fractional Executive Search

What Manila SMEs have been missing.

You have built something real for Filipino customers or overseas clients. The next stage needs senior leadership that hard work alone cannot supply. We search our collective for that leader, vet them and match them to your business, and they embed for part of the week.

A senior executive in a calm, modern office, composed and considered
The situation

Why a full-time C-suite rarely fits at your stage

A full-time CFO, COO or CMO looks like the obvious answer. For most growing Philippine companies it is not yet practical:

01

A heavy fixed cost

An experienced executive in Manila commands a salary in the millions of pesos, and a permanent hire adds a statutory payroll load on top. For a growing SME, that money usually works harder elsewhere.

02

A long search

A conventional executive search takes months, and senior leaders with real scaling experience are in demand here. With margins under pressure, few businesses can wait that long.

03

A costly mistake if it goes wrong

The wrong senior hire costs money, morale and momentum, and a permanent appointment is slow and expensive to unwind.

04

More time than you need

A growing Manila company usually needs a couple of days of senior leadership a week, not five. Paying for the full week is an expensive answer to a part-time need.

A fractional executive is an experienced C-suite operator who works with your business for a defined share of the week. They join the team, own a function and are accountable for results, without a full-time salary. For founder-led Philippine businesses outgrowing their first team, that puts senior leadership exactly where it is needed.

Is it the right fit?

Who this is for, and who it is not

Best for

  • Founders carrying a C-suite function themselves with no time left to lead
  • Businesses that need senior capability two or three days a week, not five
  • A specific gap in finance, operations, marketing, technology or people that is holding growth back
  • Teams that cannot yet justify, or afford, a full-time executive salary
  • Owners who want an operator accountable for outcomes, not a consultant with a deck

Not for

  • A junior or purely execution role a full-time manager should own
  • A one-off project an agency could deliver and hand back
  • Businesses wanting a figurehead rather than someone who does the work
  • A pre-revenue idea with no function yet to lead
A calm modern boardroom at dusk, the city skyline beyond floor-to-ceiling glass

Senior leadership, on terms a growing business can carry.

How we work

Fractional executive search for Philippine SMEs

We search a vetted collective of senior operators with Philippine and multinational experience, then stay alongside the engagement for its whole life.

1 monthNotice, either way
800+Curated and vetted executives
2–3 weeksBrief to deployment
30–60%Less than a full-time hire, on our engagements

We stay after the match

We keep a regular check-in with you and the executive, so the work stays aligned with what the business needs and any drift is raised early.

Colleagues behind your executive

Your CFO can ask one of our CTOs about a technology cost, and your COO can borrow a CMO's view on reaching customers across the islands.

A handover we manage

We do not keep a replacement waiting. We keep the brief current, and if the executive steps away we manage the handover and the new search.

Matched on more than a CV

We match on stage, sector, working style and how your business runs. A gifted CFO who does not understand a Philippine family-run company will cost more than they save.

How it works

What an engagement looks like

From first call to an embedded operator in weeks, not months.

01

Discovery

We spend time understanding your business: challenges, goals, team dynamics, and what 'success' looks like in 90 days.

02

Match

We introduce the right fractional executive from our vetted collective. You meet them, ask hard questions, and confirm the fit.

03

Scoped engagement begins

The engagement launches with a defined scope, clear deliverables, and a structured cadence. Your fractional is embedded, not advisory.

04

Adapt and evolve

As your business changes, the engagement changes with it. Add hours, shift focus, introduce a second specialist, all without restructuring.

Where to start

Which executive do you need first?

You do not need to know the answer before you call. Match the problem you feel most to the operator who owns it.

If this is the problem
Start with
If this is the problemCash flow, reporting or fundraising is the worry
Start withFractional CFO
If this is the problemThe founder is the bottleneck and delivery is slipping
Start withFractional COO
If this is the problemPositioning is unclear and demand is thin
Start withFractional CMO
If this is the problemRevenue has plateaued and sales and marketing are pulling apart
Start withFractional CRO
If this is the problemTechnology decisions carry risk you cannot weigh
Start withFractional CTO
If this is the problemHiring, culture or HR compliance is straining
Start withFractional CHRO
Our fractional services

Each fractional role maps to a different SME challenge

Start with the gap that is costing you most, and the roles below show which leader owns it.

Proven leadership

Backed by executives who have led at

PwC
Microsoft
Unilever
HSBC
Deloitte
KPMG
EY
Accenture
Common questions

The questions buyers ask first

Usually two to three weeks from the brief. We take the time to match you with an executive who fits your sector and the way your business runs, which matters more than shaving a few days.

We match for Philippine operating experience where the brief needs it. Your executive works with your accountants and advisers, who stay responsible for tax and legal advice, and makes sure the business keeps its obligations in view.

Yes. Much of the Philippine economy runs through a few large family groups, whether you supply them, partner with them or compete with them. We can match for executives who have worked inside or alongside those groups.

A senior finance or operations leader will check whether your business could qualify for investment or startup incentives, and work with your advisers on applying, so support you are entitled to is not missed.

Yes. Smaller teams often gain the most, because a fractional CFO or COO brings rigour a lean founding team lacks, without adding a permanent senior salary.

Related

Other moments we cover

Get started

Not sure which leader you need first?

Tell us where the business feels stretched. We will identify the gap that is costing you most and match a proven operator to own it, backed by our vetted collective of senior leaders.

Find my leadership gap