Welcome to the first article in our 2025 series on navigating industry and role transitions into senior executive positions. Each month, we will explore a different leadership role, delving into the opportunities, challenges, and strategies for companies and leaders alike. This series is designed to provide actionable insights for organizations seeking innovative leaders and for professionals aiming to broaden their career horizons. Today, we begin with the Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) has always been central to driving a company’s operational excellence. However, the evolving complexity of industries and the growing need for adaptability are shifting how companies identify and recruit COOs. For both organizations and aspiring leaders, transitions between industries or roles present unique challenges and significant opportunities. This article explores how these transitions can be leveraged for mutual benefit, with a focus on key pathways such as manufacturing to renewable energy, retail to healthcare, and aerospace to mobility solutions.

Industry Transitions: Opportunities and Strategic Insights

1. Manufacturing to Renewable Energy Leaders from manufacturing often bring expertise in lean principles, process optimization, and cost control. These skills translate seamlessly into renewable energy sectors like solar or wind, where operational efficiency directly impacts scalability and profitability. A former manufacturing COO, for instance, might revolutionize wind turbine assembly processes by applying just-in-time manufacturing techniques, significantly reducing costs.
2. Retail to Healthcare The retail industry’s focus on customer experience and supply chain optimization positions its leaders well to transition into healthcare. Managing operations in patient-focused facilities or health systems requires a similar ability to streamline logistics, enhance user experience, and maintain compliance. A retail COO’s expertise in handling high-volume transactions and maintaining customer satisfaction can transform how healthcare providers manage patient journeys.
3. Aerospace to Mobility Solutions Aerospace operations’ emphasis on precision, safety, and innovation provides an excellent foundation for leadership in emerging mobility platforms. COOs transitioning from aerospace could drive efficiency in shared mobility operations, ensuring reliability and scalability while leveraging data-driven insights for strategic decision-making.

Role Transitions: Stepping into the COO Chair

1. Plant Manager to COO Plant Managers bring hands-on experience in optimizing processes and leading teams at scale. Transitioning to COO offers the opportunity to expand their operational purview beyond the factory floor. By emphasizing achievements in cost reduction, employee engagement, and technology integration, they can position themselves as transformative leaders capable of steering broader operational strategies.
2. Head of Supply Chain to COO Supply Chain leaders are adept at managing complexity across global networks. As COOs, they can leverage this expertise to oversee entire operations, ensuring alignment between procurement, production, and distribution. Highlighting accomplishments in risk management, sustainability initiatives, and logistics optimization can demonstrate their readiness for the expanded scope.

Advice for Companies: Recruiting for Transformational Leadership

1. Assess Adaptability and Vision Industry-specific experience is valuable, but adaptability and a forward-thinking mindset often matter more in transition scenarios. Recruiters should probe candidates’ ability to translate their expertise into new contexts, asking for concrete examples of innovation or adaptability.
2. Leverage Cross-Industry Insights Leaders transitioning from other industries bring fresh perspectives that can spark innovation. Companies in renewable energy, for example, should consider manufacturing leaders to capitalize on their process-driven approach, while healthcare organizations might benefit from retail executives’ customer-centric strategies.
3. Expand Evaluation Criteria Traditional metrics like tenure in an industry should not overshadow competencies such as change management, strategic thinking, and cultural alignment. Structured assessments and behavioral interviews can help gauge these attributes.

Practical Interview Questions and Expected Responses

1. How have you successfully adapted to unfamiliar challenges in your career? Expected Response: Candidates should share specific examples of navigating new environments, emphasizing problem-solving, quick learning, and measurable outcomes.
2. What strategies have you employed to drive innovation in a previous role? Expected Response: Demonstrating an ability to think outside the box and leverage cross-industry knowledge to deliver impactful results is key.
3. How do you approach building credibility and trust within a new team or industry? Expected Response: Candidates should highlight their communication skills, relationship-building strategies, and respect for organizational culture.
4. What operational challenges have you faced that required a fresh perspective, and how did you address them? Expected Response: Candidates should discuss a specific challenge, how they analyzed the situation, and the innovative solutions they implemented.

Advice for Candidates: Positioning Yourself for Success

1. Overcoming Hiring Concerns
   • Addressing the Learning Curve: Proactively reassure hiring companies by demonstrating a strong understanding of the target industry’s key challenges and trends. Cite examples of quickly mastering new domains and outline a structured plan for onboarding and learning.
   • Emphasize Immediate Value: Highlight transferable skills and how they can drive immediate results. For instance, a supply chain leader might outline how their expertise in reducing lead times can optimize operations across the organization.
   • Showcase Adaptability: Position yourself as a continuous learner by sharing examples of upskilling, such as certifications or industry-specific training programs. This demonstrates a commitment to personal growth and alignment with the new role’s demands.
2. Positioning Yourself for Transitions
   • Highlight Transferable Skills: Focus on showcasing universally applicable skills such as operational efficiency, team leadership, and strategic execution. For example, a Plant Manager might emphasize success in reducing downtime through predictive maintenance systems.
   • Build a Bridge to the Target Industry: Demonstrate an understanding of the target industry’s nuances by researching market dynamics, regulatory environments, and emerging trends. Communicating a clear vision during interviews is critical.
   • Articulate Mutual Benefits: Explain how your unique background can drive value for the company. For instance, a manufacturing leader moving to renewable energy could emphasize how their lean principles can cut costs and enhance productivity. Similarly, transitioning roles can provide candidates with broader career growth, deeper impact, and new avenues for professional fulfillment.

Mutual Benefits of Cross-Sector and Role Transitions

For companies, tapping into talent pools outside their traditional industry opens the door to innovative problem-solving and a diverse range of experiences. Transitioning leaders often bring fresh energy and perspectives that can reinvigorate organizational strategies.

For leaders, such moves provide growth opportunities, the chance to make a broader impact, and the ability to apply their expertise in new and meaningful ways.

By embracing the potential of industry and role transitions, both organizations and leaders can unlock unprecedented opportunities, ensuring a more dynamic and resilient approach to operational leadership.

Call to Action

For companies seeking out-of-the-box leaders to drive transformational change, or for candidates ready to transition into impactful COO roles, contact InterSearch Worldwide. Our expertise in executive search and deep understanding of cross-industry leadership transitions can help you achieve your goals.