Interim Chief Executive Officer — Scale-up

United Arab Emirates·Technology & Digital Platforms··Posted 26 July 2026

Series B logistics-technology startup, DIFC domiciled

The problem this seat exists to solve

The founder is stepping back from day-to-day leadership to focus on product and fundraising. Investors want an operating CEO in place for the twelve months to the next round, with the founder remaining on the board.

The remit

Run the business day to day while the founder leads product and fundraising
Build the commercial operating cadence a Series C investor will diligence
Recruit the leadership layer the company lacks
Work with the board on the permanent leadership structure

What the sponsor will not compromise on

Operating CEO or COO experience in a venture-backed business past product-market fit
Experience of working alongside a founder who remains on the board — the hardest part of this role
Regional experience in the Gulf or wider MENA
Willingness to take a meaningful equity component

Terms

Engagement: Twelve months, full time, based in Dubai.
Compensation: AED 90,000 – 130,000 a month plus equity.
Cross-border: A DIFC executive role requires residency and, for a regulated function, DFSA approval. Sponsorship is available.

Before you apply — this is an executive role

An interim seat needs work authorisation. A board seat in the United Arab Emirates usually does not.

This is the single most common way a cross-border interim engagement falls apart after it has been agreed. The visa-free position that applies to a non-executive director attending board meetings does not extend to an executive or operating role.

Position in the United Arab Emirates: A non-resident non-executive director attending board meetings travels on a visit visa. A resident director role, or any controlled function at a DIFC or ADGM firm, typically requires residency and a work permit.
On this brief: A DIFC executive role requires residency and, for a regulated function, DFSA approval. Sponsorship is available.

How interim seats work across borders

How this works

Every seat here is applied for by a certified director.

That is the whole difference. A sponsor reading applications from this Exchange knows the pool has been tested — which is why the briefs are real and why an application gets read. Five steps, and the first three are free.

1
Register — free
Read every brief, every regime map and both tools. Nothing is hidden behind the paywall and nothing ever has been. You can apply straight away — one application a fortnight.
2
Sit the assessment — free, about 30 minutes
15 judgement questions on statutory duty, your functional depth and cross-border practice. Sitting it costs nothing and you see your band and a gap report either way — so you learn something about your own standing whether or not you go further.
3
Pass, and you are certified — free, for 12 months
There is no fee to certify. A certified member applies to board, interim and advisory seats, one application a week. That alone is more than most directors act on in a quarter.
4
Then, if you want the rate — Foresight InfinityUS$250 a month
Your application is collated, verified against your profile and carried to the sponsor every week instead of waiting out the seat’s priority period — and we search for you rather than waiting for you to look. Foresight Infinity Plus, US$500 a month, is carried first, the moment it is matched, with a document written for that seat and your score attached.
Monthly only — there is no annual term on either. One payment a month; nothing renews on its own.
5
Your certificate and your membership are not the same thing
The certificate runs 12 months. A membership renews every month. If you stop paying you do not go back to the beginning — you keep the certificate you earned and return to one application a week until it expires.

Start the assessment — free The longer explanation →

Apply

GIDX-AE-0204 — Interim Chief Executive Officer — Scale-up

Also open in the United Arab Emirates

All seats in this market →

Interim leadershipOpen Foresight first Cross-border

Interim Chief AI Officer — Value Agenda

United Arab Emirates·Logistics & Infrastructure

Multinational subsidiary — logistics and infrastructure services organisation

Tie product funding to measurable economics and technical consequence: that is what a logistics and infrastructure services business inside a multinational group wants, and an Interim Chief AI Officer will do it over 24 months, reporting to the Technology Committee Chair.

GIDX-AE-02390 · posted 6 Oct 2026

Statutory board seatOpen Foresight first Cross-border

Board Chair — Governance Renewal (Banking)

United Arab Emirates·Banking & Financial Services

Family-owned banking and financial services organisation

Owned by a family and answerable to depositors and supervisors alike, this bank needs a Board Chair to lead an 18-month governance renewal that puts ownership and challenge on the face of the board's record. The appointment is accountable to the shareholders.

GIDX-AE-01323 · posted 5 Oct 2026

Interim leadershipOpen Foresight first Cross-border

Interim Senior Vice President, Operations — Value Agenda (Industrials)

United Arab Emirates·Industrial Manufacturing

Mid-cap listed industrial manufacturing organisation

Redesigning how operations actually work, around evidence of capacity and service, is a 12-month assignment at an industrial manufacturer listed in the mid-cap segment. The Interim Senior Vice President, Operations will report to the Country Managing Director.

GIDX-AE-02358 · posted 5 Oct 2026

Global ID Exchange

One account. Every market your record travels to.

Registering is free and you can apply straight away — one application a fortnight. Pass the free assessment and you are certified for a year, with one application a week. Foresight Infinity (US$250 a month) raises that to one application a day and carries your applications ahead of free members; Foresight Infinity Plus (US$500 a month) carries them first, the moment they arrive.