Succession Planning Consultants

Whether by retirement, resignation, termination, or some unforeseen consequence, every leader within your organization will eventually need to be replaced. Your board needs to plan for this eventuality, and putting a directive in place for the unexpected is a crucial goal. At Gallagher's Human Resources & Compensation Consulting practice, we can guide you through the delicate but essential process of succession planning. Utilizing our expertise and experience, we help our clients proactively develop and implement a continuity and transition plan—one that will help minimize confusion and potential disruption of the organization’s services, support their standing within the community, and sustain the economic vitality of the organization.

Succession planning identifies and prepares for “who’s ready next”—simply meaning, who will be ready to move into a leadership position once someone has vacated said position. By preparing for the next leader, your organization can avoid having a sudden vacancy. This is one of many reasons why it is crucial to incent and recognize leaders who have the ability to develop others for future leadership roles, creating a pool of potential successors.

Determining “who’s ready next” is critical since inadequate leadership is often cited as once the top reasons companies aren’t prepared to meet today’s economic landscape. When your organization has a vacancy, it is most effective to promote someone from within the firm, as an outside hire can pose financial and intangible costs. To do so successfully; however, succession planning provides a structure for development that ensures the right people are in place to meet the changing nature of your organization’s future and protect the continuity of your organizational leadership. For essential insights and key considerations for a smooth transition, see what our 10 best succession planning practices are.

Continuity is key in any leadership transition. Our experienced succession planning consultants have helped companies navigate the intricacies of officer change for decades. Our unique approach hinges on working with your organization to proactively strategize an approach that looks to the future, ensuring that you can act, rather than react, to leadership changes, both planned and unexpected.

Gallagher’s succession planning strategy starts with reviewing your organization’s leadership talent and evaluating executives’ readiness to move into top positions. Our approach designs personalized leadership training and development plans, as well as ongoing contingency plans for external recruiting. From there, our team works closely with boards and senior managers to develop a response strategy for potential loss of senior leadership and identify leadership criteria desired in future candidates. With these strategies, Gallagher helps position your organization to face the future with confidence and achieve overall organizational wellbeing.

What Sets Gallagher Apart from Other Approaches?

• Extensive experience with not-for-profit and academic organizations as well as other healthcare systems


• A broad range of services, including: skills assessment, total compensation analysis, leadership development, succession planning, contract evaluation, governance consultation, and public relations planning


• Our willingness to provide flexible services and pricing, all tailored to meet your organization’s specific needs


• Seamless service from transition planning through actual search and placement


• Experienced and impartial counsel to help guide the succession planning process