Introduction

The idea for the book What’s Next: How Professionals are Refusing Retirement came from Dona Roche-Tarry’s work as an advisor to very senior executives for over a decade. Today Dona is an executive recruiter leading the Board Practice in EMEA for CTPartners, and over the course of her career (with Heidrick and Strugles and BT) she has had the privilege of working with a large number of highly successful executives in many industries and countries. During the dot- com period and then again over the last few years she noticed an increase in the number of “younger” (between 48–60) professionals who were looking to leave their top- level corporate careers and “do something different.” She helped place them as Non-Executive Directors and Chairmen as well as advising them on how to restructure life after a full time corporate career. In her discussions with them, Dona noticed that while they were excited about the change, they were also seeking direction. Many were unsure of how to move forward into this new chapter or even how to define exactly what it was they were looking for. In fact as most of these folks were CEOs of large corporate divisions, and they had not had to reach out to others for help in a very long time. They had become used to continuous support in a world with advisors, assistants, and a strong team. The idea of transitioning into a nebulous space without a title or a business card was daunting and difficult. In these encounters Dona met with men and women throughout the world who had followed the linear path of a corporate career moving from one role to another and one promotion to another. They had gained visibility and a reputation in their industry, accompanied by institutional support and recognition. Opportunities had fallen into their laps, allowing them to rub elbows with economic and political power. Despite all of this, they were motivated to move on, were looking to organize themselves differently, all the while wondering what they could possibly do for an encore.