Companies need experienced executives to face key challenges, but that senior talent remains difficult to find. At the same time, many executives with decades of experience want to continue adding value, although they don't always know where or how to do it. From this gap arises Senior Executives On A Mission, a platform created in Barcelona that connects executives over 45 years old with extensive experience in similar roles with SMEs, startups, and scaleups to address specific missions: from preparing a funding round to designing an internationalization process.
An innovative model in which executives work on missions, instead of occupying traditional roles, thus overcoming the limitations of conventional hiring. "Today, when a company needs to incorporate talent to solve a specific challenge, the traditional model only offers two paths: selection processes for job offers or external consulting services. However, there are profiles and needs that are not covered," remarks Daniel Dümig, co-founder of the platform along with Emilio Risques.
"Data shows that experienced leaders are more likely to generate results in complex environments. However, today much of that senior leadership is underutilized," Dümig remarks. Thus, while family businesses, scaleups, and startups have difficulties incorporating high-level executives due to their resource limitations, there are also senior executives with extensive experience who want to remain active, but without being tied to long contracts.
"Our goal is for the experience of these executives to translate into tangible results for companies, without the need to be tied to a traditional job role," remarks the platform's promoter. For this reason, Senior Executives On A Mission is not a conventional job portal or a typical consultancy, but a marketplace that directly connects senior talent with specific challenges, facilitating the match ---the compatibility--- between executive experience and the strategic needs of each company.
Thus, unlike traditional selection processes, the platform performs a detailed analysis of each challenge, identifying the executive profile that best fits each situation. "These are not simple forms. Our approach consists of thoroughly understanding each company's challenge, helping to define a roadmap, establishing KPIs, and accompanying the company throughout the entire process," explains Dümig. The platform charges a 20% commission for this comprehensive accompaniment, which covers from the identification of the challenge and the definition of the roadmap hand in hand with each company, to the selection of the executive and their integration into the team.
During the process, executives over 45 years old with at least a decade of experience in leadership positions are selected, evaluating which profile best suits each business need, whether by their area of specialization or by the sector in which they have worked. As Dümig illustrates: "this executive is like a mechanic who arrives to repair a broken boat, gives a single blow with the hammer and the boat starts again. It's not just about the blow itself, but about knowing exactly where and how to give it." Senior talent, therefore, is not only defined by age, but by experience, trajectory, and the ability to make complex decisions.
The platform is not limited to linking talent with jobs, but aligns it with concrete "missions." These missions —strategic challenges for the company— can include from preparing a funding round or designing an internationalization strategy, to executing a go-to-market in a new market or leading the digitalization of a traditional business. "Basically, a mission is a business transformation in every sense," Dümig summarizes.
Therefore, the duration of missions can vary: some projects require specific support of barely one month, while others extend for more than six months. For executives, this flexibility is fundamental: they can undertake missions individually or chain them, as long as they align with their areas of specialization, without needing to commit to conventional full-time or part-time contracts. Another differentiating element of this model is the executive's remuneration. "Compensation is adjusted to the time dedicated and the expected impact," Dümig clarifies. Thus, it can include a fixed base and variables linked to the project's KPIs.
"Data shows that experienced leaders are more likely to generate satisfactory results in complex environments. However, today much of that senior leadership is underutilized"But the mission of Senior Executives On A Mission does not end with the selection of the executive. The platform accompanies both their integration into the team and their disengagement at the end of the mission. The objective goes beyond solving a specific problem: the aim is for the knowledge and skills provided by these executives to be incorporated and endure within the company. Furthermore, the platform can facilitate the transition if, in specific cases, the company decides to convert the mission into a permanent job position.
"Natural fit" in the Catalan business fabric
The Senior Executives On A Mission model fits naturally into the Catalan business ecosystem, made up of a diverse fabric of SMEs, startups and scaleups. "Many of these companies require experienced leadership to face key moments," Dümig points out. Based in Barcelona, the platform works mainly with Spanish companies, although it also already operates for international clients, and is available in English, Spanish and German, adapting to its main markets.The idea of Senior Executives On A Mission arises from the experience of Emilio Risques and Daniel Dümig at The MotherTrees Innovation Ecosystems, a company founded in 2022. From Barcelona, the firm works with international corporations, local companies, and public institutions, applying its own methodology called Innovation Solution Puzzle, which seeks to offer complete and multidisciplinary solutions.
Among The MotherTrees' most notable projects are the promotion of The Venue Barcelona, a center for innovative companies in music, sports, and large events promoted by Barcelona Serveis Municipals (BSM) and located in the Olympic Stadium, and the initiative Safe Running Routes, which seeks to create safe routes for women athletes in the Catalan capital. Now, with Senior Executives On A Mission, the company takes another step: transforming the accumulated experience of its promoters in these projects into an innovative model that allows companies to access senior talent to lead specific strategic missions.