The Project: U.S. CEO Search
Gamma Holdings NV develops, manufactures and sells innovative, high-quality textile-based products throughout the world. The company has over 9,000 employees across 36 countries. With headquarters in the Netherlands, Gamma Holdings' shares are listed on the Euronext and its annual revenues are one billion euros.
Clear Edge is a subsidiary of Gamma Holdings with plants in the UK, U.S., Sweden, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The Talent Gap
This global, publicly traded textile manufacturer had identified a requirement for a U.S.-based CEO. The required candidate needed both the gravitas and experience to successfully manage the following executive responsibilities:
Integrate two recent acquisitions into cohesive, goal-congruent entities achieving economies of scale. Utilize well established brands, client base, financial platform and market opportunity to drive organic and acquisition-based expansion. The challenge was to source and identify candidates who could build a solid U.S. platform in order to take advantage of existing market opportunities. Based out of the UK, Colin Waudby, the CEO of Clear Edge, was determined to find an executive search partner with experience in rapidly identifying high-caliber candidates who possessed extensive European and U.S. market experience.
Having heard of Harvey Nash's U.K. search experience, Waudby visited the Harvey Nash Web site to explore the company's U.S. search capabilities and market knowledge. He then sent a direct e-mail inquiry to the Harvey Nash USA search team seeking additional information on specific searches.
The Search Approach
After receiving the CEO's inquiry, Alistair Robinson, Harvey Nash's Executive Search Managing Director in the U.S. contacted Clear Edge immediately. Within three days, he flew to London to meet with Waudby to discuss all aspects of the search requirement. It was a competitive situation and Waudby, a discerning CEO, needed to be convinced of Harvey Nash's ability to deliver.
Harvey Nash was able to build a full proposal on the search assignment in less than two days, providing the client detailed insight into how the search methodology and strategic approach would work. After careful review, Waudby signed off on the proposal.
Within one week of inquiring as to Harvey Nash's search capabilities on the Web, Waudby had met with Harvey Nash in person, received a detailed proposal and selected Harvey Nash as the search firm for the U.S. CEO role.
The Search Solution
Leveraging both extensive research resources, a global network of talent and industry knowledge, Harvey Nash was able to provide a short-list of executive-level candidates. By June of 2005, just four weeks after beginning the search with Harvey Nash, Clear Edge had selected and hired its U.S. CEO.
"We are very pleased with the search results," says CEO Waudby. "The U.S. CEO is making his mark and has been very well accepted and respected. I doubt if we could have found anyone better."
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