THE CLIENT

We were recently engaged on a confidential search to hire a Global Sales Manager for a leading venture Investment Firm that are looking to create a  new, diverse business line in the Medical Cryogenics and Ultra-low Temperature industry.

Our client is a leading VC company that are listed on the NYSE and have been acting as one of the leading companies in their field for the past two decades.

They have a broad and vast portfolio and within their partner ecosystem they highlighted a potential niche, this is where we came in to partner with them.

THE ROLE

Our client came to us as they have a potential niche that they want to explore. They knew how to do it, have access to the market, are in a position to capitalise on their relationships but did not have the experience they deemed necessary internally to do so.

We have been retained to work with our client to develop a greater understanding of what the hire should look like and what that skill set is called in the market.

After some consultation meetings we decided that we should look to hire a Global Sales Manager but source someone that has the expertise act as a Chief Executive of this new business line.

THE SOLUTION

Once we’d agreed on the role and aligned on the criteria for success, we could then build out the search strategy. This is where our extensive expertise comes into play. We are not just matching resumes to job descriptions; we are actively seeking candidates who fit the strategic needs of the business and have the capability to drive change.

For this particular search, we identified that we needed a global candidate pool with experience in Medical Cryogenics and Ultra Low Temperature devices. My team and I leveraged our network and industry insights to begin mapping out potential candidates who had the required blend of leadership, strategy, and proven experience of international sales and developing markets. At this stage, we also discussed with the client the timeline for the search and key milestones, they have a need to move things along quickly so we aligned and made sure it was achievable with the requirements. I believe in being transparent about the process and managing expectations throughout, which helps foster trust and ensures we stay aligned from start to finish.

As we move through the search process, the partnership doesn’t end—it evolves. We have weekly check in meetings with the client to provide updates on the search, share insights, and get feedback. As this was more of an evolving process than other searches previously, we used these regular sessions to assess suitability and make sure that what we perceived was needed from the initial consultation did in fact match what was necessary.

This continuous dialogue allows us to refine the search criteria if needed and ensures that we stay aligned as we move forward.

THE RESULT

We created a defined longlist with what I can confidently say was a fair representation of all the Sales leaders that can manage this role, globally.

Through our research we highlighted 12 companies that had the correct hierarchy to suit what we needed, a similar culture to fit ours and also the same products so we can bring in the relevant customer base and networks. From those companies we highlighted 64 people that were relevant and held conversations with all bar 6 of them. From this we created a carefully crafted longlist of interested candidates and looked to review them with the client.

With their direction we held full interviews with 10 of them and due to the stringent work at the front end of the project all could be discussed as a potential fit. We then sat down with our client, we ran through our comprehensive notes and positioned the value that each candidate could bring with their differing backgrounds. This resulted in 6 candidates having an initial call, 5 proceeding to the second technical stage and now all in the running at the final round.

We have already started to collaborate with the board to make sure that the perfect offer can be created when we get to that point and they will secure the right candidate based on our feedback and theirs throughout the process.