The Head of Supply Chain and operations was planning to retire from the company after 20 years of service and the new President needed to hire a seasoned individual to replace him.  The company was growing quickly, both organically and through acquisitions, so they needed someone who could work in a very fast-paced environment.  Experience in the CPG space was not mandatory but they did need someone who has worked with contract manufacturing.

The brand and private equity sponsorship was a solid draw.  Since manufacturing was outsourced, the size of the company (revenue and headcount) was much smaller than what many candidates had anticipated.  The company was also working on a new long-term incentive plan (to be implemented at a future date) so it did limit the number of candidates who would move over on a promise.

We identified individuals in both the contract manufacturing space and industries that required manufacturing (e.g. CPG, household items, auto parts, etc.).  We had some of these candidates in our database however the search required a considerable amount of new research.

After meeting with over a dozen candidates, our client selected an individual who had recently been displaced from a diversified fintech company who had previous CPG experience.  The successful candidate also happened to be consulting for the past several months with another leading beauty products company in the U.S.

As the company grew in size and scale, the incumbent in the role didn’t demonstrate the leadership attributes which had become necessary for the company to maintain its success.  Since the company was well known, and the Real Estate Development industry is very close knit, we were asked to carry out a confidential search, so that there was no disruption in the work-flow.  This was a very senior level role, so there weren’t many people in the market who would fit this tight requirement.

Residential Development was the hottest sector in the Real Estate industry at the time, and many companies were actively increasing the size of their teams, while our search was going on; which created the challenge of several competitive offers to strong candidates.  The location was in the Greater GTA surrounding area, so location was another piece of the puzzle.

We identified and targeted candidates who had the industry experience, breadth of Residential product experience, and the right depth of leadership strength required for this role.  We also leveraged our network of commercial real estate contacts to source for relevant candidates.  Our search process covered more than 200 qualified candidates, sifting through each to find the best possible match for the company’s needs.

In addition to combing the GTA market, we also reached out to Candidates who had worked in the GTA in their past, to determine if they would consider moving back for this plumb role.  We leveraged the slowdown of the Western Canadian Development Market, and sought out candidates with the right experience, to determine if there was a fit.  The successful placement was identified in Alberta, looking for an opportunity to return to Ontario, coincidentally having family living in the same neighbourhood as the company’s Head Office.

The company made a decision to replace the incumbent VP Internal Audit & Compliance on a confidential basis.  Due to the importance of the role, the company could not risk having this role vacant so Lakeshore Human Capital was retained to conduct this search.  We were tasked with finding someone who had the requisite senior internal audit experience but who was also a strong leader.

The search timeline did take a few additional weeks as we were limited on what we could share in the market and had to review candidate profiles with our client before disclosing to them who the company was.

We identified a long list of retail and financial services companies and relevant individuals at each. We then went to market on a no-name basis to pitch the opportunity, only sharing what we were authorized to (by the client) on the size and scope of their business. Despite not knowing the identity of our client, we were able to generate interest in the market and interview candidates. Before any candidate met with our client, they were required to sign a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and we had very few that withdrew upon learning who the company was.

We were successful in placing the new VP Internal Audit & Compliance and were able to maintain the confidentiality of the search so that there was no gap in the position itself.

Founded over 60 years ago, our client has interests in “trophy” office and retail properties across North America and in other select international markets.

The incumbent had been in the VP role for over 4 years and with the company for 12 years.  He was well known and respected in the physical and corporate security space so the bar was very high.  We had a condensed window to find a replacement as the incumbent was set to retire within three months.  Although the responsibilities were national in scope, the hiring manager wished to open up the search to international candidates who would be willing to relocate to Toronto.

The company and portfolio were a strong draw.  The main challenge was attracting someone to Toronto to focus on a Canadian-centric portfolio where many local and international candidates had global mandates.

We identified and targeted candidates who had the requisite physical security experience with another commercial real estate or operating company with multiple locations.  This was a global search and the consultant team spoke with candidates in Canada, US, Europe and Asia.  We also leveraged our network of commercial real estate contacts to source for relevant candidates.

Having spent enough time upfront with the client, we were able to quickly identify target candidates in several geographies.  Leveraging our contacts and technology, we were successful in identifying a candidate in the U.S. who was ready for a change and open to relocating to Toronto.  Although technology was certainly helpful, the consultants spent considerable time calling into the market.  This successful placement had the required corporate experience in addition to a law enforcement and legal background.  The bonus was that he was a dual citizen and did not require a work permit.