The challenge.

Our client, a global leader in the cement manufacturing industry, had a critical requirement for a Cement Plant Manager at one of their flagship facilities in North America. However, they faced a unique challenge – the need for utmost confidentiality throughout the hiring process. They were unable to publicly advertise the company name, plant location, or any identifying details due to the sensitive nature of the role and potential competitive implications. The client needed a strategic partner who could navigate this complexity while ensuring a successful outcome.

The solution.

Chad Harrison International (CHI) proposed a comprehensive and discreet solution tailored to the client’s unique needs. The approach cantered around creating a extensive database of potential candidates who possessed the requisite technical expertise, leadership qualities, and a willingness to relocate to the region.

The CHI team embarked on a multi-faceted process:

• Detailed briefing – Conducting in-depth discussions with the client to understand the precise technical skills, personality traits, and leadership competencies required for the Cement Plant Manager role.
• Global talent mapping – Leveraging advanced technology and CHI’s extensive global network, the team mapped over 250 Cement Plant Managers, Assistant Plant Managers, and Production Managers with cement industry experience across North America and the Rest of the World. This longlist was meticulously populated with up-to-date contact information.
• Discreet candidate engagement – Each potential candidate on the longlist was approached confidentially to gauge their current status, interest level, and suitability for the role. CHI’s consultants relied on their expertise and credibility to build trust and assure candidates of the opportunity’s legitimacy, despite the client’s anonymity.
• Securing candidate buy-in – Through transparent communication and a proven track record of successful placements, CHI gained the commitment of qualified candidates to be included in a shortlist for an unknown client and location.
• Shortlist presentation – A carefully curated shortlist of candidates who met the client’s stringent criteria was presented, preserving confidentiality.
• Comprehensive interview management – As candidates progressed through the client’s extensive 6-stage interview process, CHI provided meticulous support and guidance. This included managing candidate expectations, addressing concerns, and ensuring maximum engagement despite the moving timeframes and evolving details.
• Stakeholder coordination – CHI facilitated seamless communication and coordination between the client’s key stakeholders involved in the intensive interview process, ensuring a cohesive and efficient experience.

The result.

Through our discreet, strategic approach and unwavering commitment to the client’s needs, an exceptional international candidate from outside the North American region was successfully placed as the Cement Plant Manager. This outcome not only fulfilled the client’s stringent requirements but also preserved the confidentiality deemed essential for this critical hire.

Our expertise in navigating complex, confidential searches, combined with our global reach and candidate management capabilities, proved invaluable in delivering a successful outcome for our client.

The challenge.

Chad Harrison International (CHI) was engaged in exploratory discussions with an Iberian-based building materials manufacturer to determine how best to support their talent acquisition efforts. The manufacturer, heavily backed by a private equity (PE) firm, was planning a transformational project to deploy its groundbreaking products across Europe. This project created a range of challenging and business-critical vacancies. Identifying the necessary talent in new territories for an international company can be complex, time-consuming, and financially costly, even when considering the opportunities and innovations the company can offer.

To address the challenge, a senior member of the company’s executive committee reached out to CHI to discuss how we could support their recruitment requirements. With no presence or network in any of the five key territories, the company required a global search partner, such as CHI, to utilise its expertise and industry networks to attract top talent in the relevant regions. One of the main hurdles was identifying and securing the right personnel from a scarce talent pool with sector-specific expertise and the willingness to “start from scratch” given the company’s stage of growth.

The solution.

The client agreed to collaborate with CHI on an exclusive basis across all key territories. Initially, CHI utilised proven research techniques to analyse the labour market in three of the five key regions. As the client was unsure about remuneration rates in these territories, our team established a fair salary range that met the client’s financial objectives while attracting best-in-class passive candidates. With the package established, our team proceeded to screen candidates and delivered a shortlist of relevant, qualified, and sought-after individuals—all within the first ten days of commencing the project. The interview process progressed smoothly, culminating in the appointment of a proven specialist to head up the business development function. This candidate’s experience matched all the relevant skill sets required and was an excellent cultural fit with the business.

In the second stage, we worked with the client to hire Key Account Managers (KAMs) in the remaining territories. After building a productive relationship, we endeavoured to complete the process quickly and efficiently, without compromising on the quality of personnel presented. As such, CHI provided the client with industry specialists capable of effectively establishing their presence in local markets. Following a thorough interview process, CHI swiftly moved to the offer stage. Additionally, CHI advised the client on legal and traditional frameworks, including social security, payroll solutions, holidays, and car allowances. This guidance allowed the client to accelerate the offer process and secure the desired candidates promptly.

The result.

Candidates were successfully onboarded at the company’s HQ in Iberia after completing a comprehensive training programme. Due to the high calibre of alternative candidates presented in the shortlist, the client went on to hire a second KAM in three of the new territories. Although the transformation project initially aimed for five hires, CHI supported eight successful placements, surpassing the client’s expectations.

Despite the challenges and minor setbacks encountered during the project, CHI filled 100% of the vacancies and delivered an experience that outperformed alternative global search firms previously engaged by the client. These firms had been criticised for their slow processes and lack of sector-specific knowledge, which ultimately hindered their ability to identify and secure the right personnel. Additionally, CHI achieved a 10% cost saving for the client and PE investor, who deemed the project excellent value given that each placement has already established significant pipelines of new business and revenue streams.

As a result of this successful project, CHI now provides exclusive services to the client in various geographical locations while retaining the agency’s 100% repeat customer rate from new clients acquired over the past two years. Furthermore, the additional market intelligence CHI has provided through this committed partnership has enabled the client to grow quickly and successfully in new regions, ahead of schedule and under budget.

The challenge.

Our client, a global leader in industrial minerals, was seeking a Corporate Senior Process Engineer for the EMEA region. They had very specific requirements dictated by a number of key factors. They included technical capability, seniority, leadership style, personality traits, location and ability to travel with work.

The solution.

Chad Harrison International (CHI) was approached in 2019 to fill the first of what could be several positions over the coming years. The suggested solution was a typical retained search that would see the brief taken, search executed, shortlist presented, interviews undertaken and chosen candidate offered and placed.

In six months’ time following the success of the first placement, the client had the requirement to add a further member to the team. As per the first search, a typical retained search was undertaken, however, the number of candidates presented was significantly less given the search was conducted in the same talent pool and there had been little movement in six months. As such, this meant the total search duration was significantly longer than in the first instance.

Despite this, CHI was able to find a candidate that was more recently available and fitted the client’s requirements to a tee. This resulted in a second placement.

Fast forward twelve months and the client needed to add a further member of staff to this growing function, and given the success of the previous two searches, retained CHI to undertake this latest assignment. With the experience acquired through the previous two searches, CHI had to clearly set expectations that if the client was to stay strong by their brief, then the shortlist would be reduced further and the timeframe for delivery potentially much longer.

This required going back through the original search and reconnecting with every candidate. Then, add to the longlist to find any new candidates that were not initially available in previous searches. Instead of CHI sending over large volumes of candidates that would ultimately not meet the brief, it was agreed that we would only share those that hit every point, aware that this would impact delivery timeframes.

Each time, the search became more difficult, and the process took longer. Yet, ultimately, led to three placements being made in the same team over a two-year period.

The result.

Sometimes a retained search can look very different in terms of shortlist delivery but ultimately comes down to the required investment of time and resources into the given search. Using a search firm doesn’t guarantee that there will be more CVs and interviews, but provides the hiring team with confidence that when the perfect candidate does surface, they will be presented to them.  

The challenge.

A leading Building Materials manufacturer engaged Chad Harrison International (CHI) to conduct a confidential search for a Plant Manager. The company had encountered an issue with the incumbent staff member but could only consider making a replacement once a suitable alternative had been sourced and secured. What’s more, the company is highly attractive and did not have the time or will to go through a long and highly labour-intensive advertisement campaign, but rather conduct the search under the radar and with the utmost discretion. Failure to keep the search confidential could impact productivity and have a detrimental impact on workforce harmony.

The solution.

CHI’s Building Materials and Minerals division conducted a confidential search in line with the company’s requirements. Candidates were approached and screened, all without being supplied with any detail which could reveal the identity of the hiring company. The screening process delved into each candidate’s motivations, experience and credentials, situation regarding relocation, salary expectations, and notice period, amongst other things.

Once deemed suitable for the requirements of the roles, candidates were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) – drafted and provided by CHI. Once candidates had signed the NDA, we were able to share full details of the company and role before submitting a highly credible shortlist to the client for consideration. We identified candidates who had the relevant technical and management experience, as well as a proven track record in ensuring that all operational and financial objectives are met.

By getting a head start on the recruitment process, the client was able to deal with their internal situation in due course, confident that they had a strong shortlist of candidates to appoint a replacement quickly and efficiently.

The result.

We were able to assemble a diverse shortlist of six candidates. The interview process concluded with the successful hiring of a sought-after individual who was able to start within one month of accepting the job offer. Their experience fit all the relevant skill sets our client required, as well as being an excellent cultural fit with the business.

By undertaking a confidential retained search, CHI was able to undertake an entire search process in which only a handful of candidates found out specifics about the employer and position.

The challenge.

A global leader in the production and processing of industrial minerals was seeking a Vice President of Operations for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. This vacancy was to replace an expatriate who was due to return to Europe and therefore a replacement needed to be identified and no one in the group suited the requirements.

With a majority local workforce within the region, it had been identified that the most suitable candidate would be someone local to the region, or with previous experience working in the APAC. Additionally, the candidate required specific technical skills and international exposure. With a clear lack of local talent available and no expatriate contract on offer, the pool of appropriate candidates was significantly shallowed.

The solution.

Rather than managing the search locally, Chad Harrison International (CHI) conducted a fully international retained search. This started by identifying all the companies that used the same or similar mining & manufacturing processes, followed by approaching levels -1 and +1 to the VP Operations (or equivalent) within those businesses.

By engaging with those professionals, CHI was able to gather recommendations and market intel that guided the search, resulting in referrals and identifying candidates who were not present via the public domain. 

By searching internationally, we were able to identify a number of professionals who were local to the APAC region but had since relocated to other parts of the world. We also identified those who had previously worked in the APAC region but were now in another location – in many cases these candidates had a personal connection to the region.

The result.

Through extensive research and conversations, CHI was able to present the client with a shortlist of five candidates all of whom had regional experience, were able to relocate, had the necessary technical skills required for the role, and were prepared to take the local contract rather than expatriate terms.

The interview process concluded with the successful hiring of a candidate who was native to the region and had been living aboard for 10 years.