Gannett.Partners launches CEO diligence service for boards and investors

Gannett.Partners has launched Founder & CEO Diligence, a Dallas-based service meant to help boards, private equity firms and family offices judge whether a CEO fits the next 12 to 18 months of a business. The firm says the six-week review brings deal-style rigor to leadership decisions that often rely on reputation and references.

Why it matters: - Boards and investors often make CEO decisions without the same level of independent testing used for financial or legal diligence. - Gannett.Partners is pitching a more rigorous process for leadership decisions that can affect hold periods, transition costs and returns. - The service is aimed at private equity sponsors, family offices, boards and other investors making selection, succession or sale decisions.

What happened: - Gannett.Partners launched Founder & CEO Diligence on November 12, 2026. - The Dallas-based independent leadership advisory firm says the service evaluates whether a current or prospective CEO is the right leader for the next 12 to 18 months. - Boards receive a recommendation in six weeks. - Investors can use the same process on their deal timeline.

The details: - The service is designed to fill a gap in high-stakes leadership decisions, where market, financial and legal risks are independently tested but leadership fit often is not. - The firm says traditional tools such as executive search, leadership assessment and background checks surface legal and conduct issues, but do not determine fit for the next phase of the business. - Gannett.Partners says its independence rules are written into every engagement letter. - The firm takes no equity, debt or other economic interest in companies it reviews. - The firm accepts no placement fees. - The firm does not evaluate a leader it is coaching or has coached in the past year. - The firm says its fee does not depend on what it finds. - Alongside the launch, Gannett.Partners released The Standard of Impression, a white paper on its CEO lifecycle model. - The model maps four checkpoints when owners are making a fresh bet on the same leader: a new bet or a new leader, a new team, a new plan or a longer hold, and a new owner. - Gannett.Partners also offers a Mid-hold Review and a Business Health Check. - The Mid-hold Review covers the middle of a hold. - The Business Health Check reviews the company and its plan without judging the CEO.

Between the lines: - The launch reflects a broader shift toward more frequent leadership re-evaluation by owners of different types. - CEO turnover hit a record for the second straight year in 2025, according to Russell Reynolds Associates. - In AlixPartners’ 2026 survey of 427 PE leaders and portfolio company executives, 65% of PE firms said they replaced a portfolio company CEO during the hold. - Family offices are increasingly investing directly in operating companies, which puts more leadership decisions in their hands. - Chris Gannett argues that deals are often held to a standard of proof while leaders are judged by a standard of impression.

What's next: - Gannett.Partners will use the new diligence service alongside its existing coaching and advisory work. - The firm says the diligence and coaching practices stay separate. - The company is positioning the offering for ongoing use in both transactions and mid-hold ownership decisions.

The bottom line: - Gannett.Partners is trying to make CEO selection and succession look more like investment diligence: independent, evidence-based and tied to the decision timeline.