Important decisions. Clearer direction.
A closer look at the questions we help leadership teams answer. Client and individual names are withheld throughout; the work, the numbers and the outcomes are as they happened, and references are available on request.
A Commercial Director and a Head of Bids for a defence business
The question
The business wanted to grow sales and needed a commercial and bid management capability it did not have: a Commercial Director and a Head of Bids, both with defence sector experience, both able to operate inside the sector's regulatory environment.
The approach
We mapped competitors and related sectors to find the people who had done this before, approached them directly and assessed against the agreed criteria with in-depth interviews. For the Head of Bids role there was a credible internal candidate. Rather than run a full external search, we benchmarked that person against the external market so the business could see the comparison.
The outcome
An experienced Commercial Director was appointed from outside. The Head of Bids was appointed internally, with the external benchmark as the evidence for the decision. The business now has the bid capability it set out to build, and it paid for one search rather than two.
Different questions. The same independence.
- A Commercial Director and a Head of Bids for a defence businessTwo leadership roles to build a new bid capability. One external hire, one internal appointment tested against the market.
- A Head of Strategy for a consumer business in Paris and LondonA cross-border strategy appointment for a global consumer brand, run with the EMEA Managing Director and Global CEO.
- Leadership due diligence on an acquisition target for a FTSE100 businessA market map and assessment of the target company's leaders, delivered to the Chief People Officer before the deal completed.
- Assessing a global HR team before moving to a centralised modelA new Chief People Officer needed to know which HR leaders could thrive in a central structure and where to hire from outside.
- Eight leadership appointments for a defence business since 2019An ongoing search partnership with a newly formed defence joint venture delivering a major armoured vehicle programme for the British Army.
- A confidential search for the first combined shared services leader in UK higher educationA first-of-its-kind role at a 12,000-employee university, run under NDA in a market of around 80 people.
- Market and talent research for a facilities management business entering a new segmentCompetitor, talent and acquisition research to inform a strategic expansion decision.
- A Head of People for a large housing associationA succession-driven appointment to lead the people strategy, deputise for the Chief People Officer and run facilities, payroll, talent and learning.
- A Group Property Director for a national property services groupA senior leadership team role reporting to the Board, filled at speed against a four-stage process with fixed deadlines.
- A Business Development Director for a US naval defence manufacturer entering the UKA stand-alone UK role reporting to a division president in the United States, following the acquisition of a UK defence manufacturer.
- A Head of Reward and Performance for a UK statutory regulatorA fast search for a senior People Services role during a period of law reform and a new Commissioner.
What clients say
“Finding trusted recruitment partners is an increasingly difficult challenge in a fragmented and ultra-competitive market. James at re:find has always provided an honest and open service on all the roles we have engaged on. He is always transparent about his process and capabilities to source the right candidates. He takes the time to really understand what we look for and over time has built a strong knowledge of our business practices and culture. I would strongly recommend his services for mid to senior HR appointments.”
Head of Resourcing, FTSE100 housebuilder
“Having been supplied to a large PLC as an HR consultant through re:find, I decided to use them for a critical search activity within my new, permanent business. When working with re:find, I was so impressed with their straight and no-nonsense candidate experience, I decided to ask them to search for a Divisional Managing Director role, within the Hospitality Market. Carl quickly understood the business and an initial shortlist was produced within 3 weeks, with a final group of talented candidates coming through within the next couple of weeks. Following a couple of additional rounds we made an offer and are delighted with the individual appointed.”
Chief People Officer, Hospitality group
“It’s a crowded market and it’s not often that you get to work with a team that are down to earth, really open and honest and that build long lasting relationships based on both trust and results. I really enjoy working with the team at re:find and don’t hesitate in recommending them to support any business in identifying great talent: working collaboratively, with lots of energy and getting a great outcome.”
Group HR Director, Electrical distribution group, UK
“Carl and his team were quick to understand the blend of skills and experience I was after, along with the behavioural attributes I required and work ethic. Shortly after initial discussions I had good, relevant CVs to peruse. We have made some successful hires as a result of using Carl and the team at re:find. I would certainly use re:find again.”
Head of Learning and Development, UK security services business
“James at re:find is the kind of recruiter who I know I will use throughout my career. He is easy to get on with, he never tries to sell to me, and he understands that ultimately the only thing we ever want is to find the right person for the role and that is what he does. It is a rarity to find someone like him in this industry and I cannot recommend him highly enough.”
Director of Recruiting Strategy, Global publishing group