Delivering an executive search with specific technical and language requirements

Our first full executive search assignment for Brunswick was to recruit a VP of Supply Chain, based in Belgium. Our challenge was to find experienced supply chain professionals who had managed large and complex supply chain operations where they process thousands of products through their supply chain, warehouse and logistics operation. Ideal experience would include finished products and replacement parts delivered via dealers and master distributors, in a unionised environment. It was another pre-requisite that our candidates are fluent in French and English, because French is the language used at the EMEA distribution centre and English is the language for all upward reporting.

We approached 70 candidates. Initial approaches were conducted in French by a multi-lingual researcher who could vouch for the candidate’s fluency in French. Follow up interviews were in English, thus covering the language stipulation.

We built a shortlist of five individuals, including one “benchmark candidate” who we engaged with at an early stage of the assignment. All five were interviewed but ultimately the outstanding benchmark candidate was appointed, with a second-choice candidate selected as a suitably-qualified stand by.

We have subsequently recruited into a number of posts for Brunswick, each of which have required English and at least one other specific language – including Country Managers for Germany and Switzerland and a variety of roles in Italy.