{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Boardroom Path","title":"Evgeny Shadchnev on Transitioning From Founder to CEO","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2957,"description":"Why has founder CEO succession become one of the most stressful and consequential decisions a board can make?In this episode of The Boardroom Path, host Ralph Grayson speaks with Evgeny Shadchnev, founder of Makers, author of Startup CEO Succession and coach to founder CEOs, about how to navigate leadership transitions when the stakes feel deeply personal and financially critical. Drawing on his own journey from founder CEO to coach, Evgeny explains the crucial shift from building a product to building the company that builds the product, and why behaviours that work in a five‑person team become harmful in a seventy‑person organisation.Against a backdrop of rising CEO turnover even at high‑performing companies, as boards lean into more proactive succession planning rather than waiting for crisis, Evgeny and Ralph explore how boards can spot early warning signs, support founders through burnout and identity shifts, and create a safe, trusted space for honest conversations. From job specs that look ahead to where the “puck” is going, to the pitfalls of rushed transitions and lateral moves into chair roles, this conversation offers a practical roadmap for founders, investors and aspiring NEDs.Evgeny Shadchnev: Evgeny Shadchnev is the founder and former CEO of Makers, one of the UK’s leading coding bootcamps, where he helped tackle the tech talent shortage by training complete beginners to become software developers. After leading Makers through its growth and his own CEO succession, he became a certified professional coach specialising in founder CEO transitions, working with entrepreneurs and boards on the personal and organisational challenges of leadership change. He is the author of Startup CEO Succession: A Founder’s Guide to Leadership Transition and hosts the Startup CEO Succession podcast, where he interviews founders, successor CEOs and investors about real‑world succession stories.Ralph Grayson: Ralph Grayson is a Partner in the Board Practice at Sainty...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/G1uU7T2K5h04MQMPyxv_eCIOS7fQfv5ldjQOH6K6dHU/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80MzQ1/YWYwZWI5NzIzMmIz/NzEyYWJiNTJhZGEy/NTUzOC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}