Recruitment of Strategy Team Construction Products and Metals Group

The Challenge

With a new Group management team and ambitious plans for global restructuring, our Client needed to rebuild its strategic planning team at the Group’s head office. The Group Director of Strategy started with a blank sheet of paper. He wanted to create a team to tackle a range of tasks from Group Strategic Planning to specific and more operational projects in the Divisions and Operating Companies. The client chose to appoint Odgers Berndtson for this executive search because of its global reach, flexible approach and successful prior recruitment track record with the Group.

The Approach

The Brief was prepared working closely with line management and HR. It was necessarily wide ranging in terms of sector background, functional skills and international experience. It hung together on a common theme of core intellect and fit with the behavioural, cultural and ethical values of the Group. Working with colleagues from across the Odgers Berndtson network, a cross sector search was  undertaken. An international advertising campaign was also launched using the Odgers Berndtson in-house team to draft copy and handle all responses, in order to increase our reach into this huge market. All suitable candidates were put through an in-depth interview, focussing as much on core skills as cultural fit with the business.

The Result

Over a period of four months three appointments were made. Individuals came from very different sector and functional backgrounds, reflecting the needs of the team to address diverse challenges, both at Group and Operating Company level. Team balance was crucial, as was the need to support the Group’s Diversity agenda. All have progressed within two years into more senior roles within the Group, both in the UK and overseas.

About Odgers Berndtson

Odgers Berndtson is the UK’s leading executive recruitment firm. It operates internationally across 51 offices, of which 8 are regionally distributed throughout the UK.  Offices are located in London (West End & City), Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Cardiff. It comprises a broad range of dedicated practices offering specialist executive recruitment  skills by sector and by job-function. The Building Products practice specialises in the recruitment of executive roles in a wide range of markets from raw materials suppliers through manufacturing and distributors to the end customer, as well as trade bodies and associations.

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