The Client
A US-based cloud computing software company was looking for an experienced Head of Business & Sales Director who would be able to build up their service provider business.
The Challenge
The client had high expectations. They were looking for a strong business leader who was experienced in the space, had great connections and could create an all-star team from scratch.
In addition, the client planned to replace a senior leader who had been a troublemaker for some time with this new hire which made the search highly confidential.
Last but not least, the global hiring manager requested to meet with the first candidates when he would be visiting the local entity – a deadline that was only a few days away from the initiation date of the search.
Our Solution
Luckily, we already had a strong network in the space and could put together a long list quickly, containing more than 300 candidates. We then hand-picked the individuals that we felt were best fit and immediately started to engage with them. Shortly before the hiring manager arrived, we presented around nine candidates of whom eight went to the first interview.
The client felt that all candidates were qualified but was especially interested in one highly decorated business leader. This individual ticked all boxes required by the client. But at the same time, he had spent his whole career with one major player in the tech space, was close to his retirement and unaffordable for our client in terms of compensation. In short, an almost impossible case.
However, this didn’t keep us from engaging the candidate. We not only had him meet with the client several times but also spent a lot of time with him to learn more about his ultimate career goals and ambitions. Everything had to be set up with utmost care since both the client and the candidate wanted to avoid public attention at all costs. That’s why we provided our own office space so that both parties could meet on neutral ground, in full confidentiality.
As a result of these discussions we found out that the candidate – while being in a charge of a major project – was looking for further career growth beyond the usual retirement age he was approaching quickly. Our client could provide exactly that. They offered the candidate not only the opportunity to build a new business from scratch but also stay in the company well beyond his 60th birthday. Last but not least, the candidate had a vision of working with our client and could see a possibility to step up into the role of Country Manager in the future. This highly attractive outlook finally convinced the candidate to leave his current employer he had been loyal to for more than 30 years and to start a new adventure with our client who was more than excited about the excellent hire.
