Delville Management's Growth in a Dynamic Market

An overview of the transition management market

What is transition management?

First, it is worth recalling what transition management involves. For a firm such as Delville Management, it means identifying and then placing the right profile within a client organisation to effectively address its needs.

The transition manager, who is able to integrate quickly into existing teams, is recruited for a fixed period to carry out a specific assignment. They can intervene in a variety of contexts, such as the urgent replacement of a key executive, the management of specific projects, the implementation of organisational change, or the resolution of difficult situations causing a decline in performance.

According to Carole Baujard, Talent Connector at Delville Management, the role of the transition manager is to "support people, bring them along on new projects, provide guidance, and help them navigate critical milestones". Transition managers sometimes join companies in "difficult, turbulent, or even deadlocked situations". In such cases, the intervention of a transition manager — neutral and free from any political agenda — can prove decisive.

The transition management market in strong growth

In a context where traditional talent acquisition methods (such as job postings, networking, or executive search) are proving increasingly complex, transition management has emerged as a preferred solution for companies facing strategic transformation challenges.

With a revenue of €37 million and 235 assignments launched in 2023, the transition management firm Delville Management recorded 20% growth compared to the previous year.

It is worth noting that the overall market grew by 13.5%*.

At Delville Management, this remarkable growth can be attributed to several factors, including:

• In-house consultants recognised for their sector expertise;
• A network of 22,000 transition managers, enabling highly responsive profile selection for each client organisation;
• The commitment of its partners, clients, and managers to its core values of warmth, goodwill, and a collegial spirit.

[* source: France Transition Barometer for H1 2023 on the transition management market].

What types of assignments do transition managers carry out?

In 2023, Delville Management deployed 235 transition managers across a wide range of companies to address different types of assignments.

• 30% of these assignments involved leadership transition management, reflecting the growing trend for this type of intervention in the market. These assignments involve temporarily stepping in for an unavailable senior executive — for example, due to sick leave.

• 28% of assignments concerned the management of specific projects. For instance, following the entry of new third-party investors into the RIAUX group, an intervention was required to strengthen its financial management. Constance Lefebvre, a transition manager partnering with Delville Management, was brought in to train the existing accounting team, implement new processes, and reorganise the finance function. Her success led the group to offer her a permanent internal role.

• 25% of transition managers were involved in change management assignments — for example, embedding new CSR-driven values within a company's workforce.

• Finally, 17% of transition managers placed in 2023 were tasked with managing turnaround situations.

Transition management: a market with strong national roots

A strong presence for transition management assignments in France

Ranked among the top two leading firms in France, Delville Management is positioned as one of the foremost independent specialists in transition management. While 15% of our assignments take place across Europe, our firm pursues a proximity-driven strategy.

Indeed, 85% of our assignments are carried out in France, distributed as follows:

• 47% in Île-de-France
• 9% in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
• 12% in Hauts-de-France
• 14% in the Grand Ouest
• 18% in the Grand Sud

Delville Management closely mirrors the broader market, where the top three regions are also Île-de-France (50%), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (11%), and Hauts-de-France (7%).

An international coverage strategy for Delville Management

Delville Management's development strategy, built around an extensive territorial presence, reflects several of the firm's core values.

First and foremost, there is the importance its founder Patrick Abadie places on human proximity, which he believes fosters warmth and genuine goodwill in the firm's relationships with its clients and network of transition managers.

Beyond this, the strategy aims to position Delville Management strategically by establishing offices close to its clients' decision-making centres. In addition to strengthening relationships with existing clients, this approach also opens up new business opportunities and enables the firm to develop a network of qualified managers across different regions.

The firm's expansion, which began with the opening of a regional office in Lyon in 2019, has continued with the addition of offices in Lille, Nantes, Toulouse, London, and Düsseldorf.