The challenge.
Chad Harrison International (CHI) was in exploratory discussions with an Iberian-based disposables manufacturer regarding how we could best support their talent acquisition efforts. The manufacturer was heavily backed by a private equity (PE) firm and was planning a transformational project to deploy their groundbreaking products throughout the rest of Europe, creating 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 that 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. As the company had no presence or network in each of the five key territories, they required a global search partner, such as CHI, to utilise their expertise and industry networks to attract top talent in the relevant regions. One of the main hurdles to overcome was to identify and secure the right personnel from a scarce talent pool that had sector-specific expertise, and the desire to ‘start from scratch’ given where the company was on its growth journey.
The solution.
The client agreed to collaborate with CHI on an exclusive basis across all key territories. In the first instance, CHI would utilize proven research techniques to analyse the disposable labour market in three of the five key regions. As the client was unsure about remuneration rates in corresponding territories, our team established a fair salary range that would meet the financial objectives of the client, whilst 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 candidates – 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 their business development function. Their experience fit all the relevant skill sets our client required as well as being an excellent cultural fit with the business.
In stage two, we worked with the client to hire Key Account Managers (KAMs) in the remaining territories. After building a productive relationship, we endeavored to complete the process quickly and efficiently, whilst not compromising on the quality of personnel presented. As such, CHI provided the client with industry specialists who could effectively establish their presence in local markets. Following a thorough interview process, CHI swiftly moved to the offer stage. Furthermore, CHI advised the client about legal and traditional frameworks, such as social security, payroll solutions, holidays and car allowances. This 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 target of the transformation project was initially five hires, CHI was able to support with eight hires, surpassing the expectations of the client.
Although the project was challenging and included several minor setbacks, CHI successfully filled 100% of the vacancies and was able to provide an experience surpassing that of alternative global search firms engaged previously; where the process was slow and lacking in sector-specific knowledge, culminating in an inability to identify and secure the right personnel. With a cost saving of 10%, the client and PE investor considered the cost of this project good value given each placement has already built a significant pipeline of new business/revenue streams.
As a result of this successful first project, CHI now provides an exclusive service to the client in various geographical locations, whilst retaining the agency’s 100% repeat customer rate from new clients acquired in the past two years. What’s more, the additional market intel CHI has been able to provide from this committed partnership has allowed the business to grow quickly and successfully in new geographical locations, ahead of time and under budget.