The challenge
A European contract development and manufacturing organization needed its first U.S.-based hire. The Head of Sales had to build a market strategy and win clients personally, with no U.S. sales team or client base to inherit. Most senior candidates were already managing teams. The people still prospecting often lacked the experience to build a U.S. operation from scratch.
Our search
We mapped companies of a similar size and looked beyond job titles. Conversations with candidates at different levels helped us find someone who could set the strategy, do the day-to-day business development and work independently.
The timeline
- Shortlist2 months
- Hire4 months
Two months to shortlist; four months to hire. Time-zone differences and European summer holidays extended the process.
The result
The candidate settled into the role quickly. The client is considering further U.S. expansion and plans to return to Surf Search for its next hires.
