Client background
Our client is an international outsourced manufacturing organization with factories in China and offices worldwide, including a UK office and headquarters in Denmark. They offer design and consultancy services to a diverse range of companies, supporting both pre-production and existing products. We had previously recruited for this company on two occasions, establishing a solid working relationship.
The requirement
The Managing Director of the UK office directly approached us to assist in finding a suitable replacement as he approached retirement. The client needed an individual with a strong background in engineering and manufacturing, particularly with experience working overseas, specifically in China.
Our solution
Our director, Louis Leppard, drew upon his prior experience in recruiting executive directors and devised a comprehensive proposal tailored to the client's needs. The proposed solution included establishing application deadlines, arranging first-stage Teams interviews (with Louis in attendance), shortlisting candidates for second-stage interviews, and conducting psychometric assessments for the final candidates in collaboration with a trusted vendor. Louis participated in face-to-face interviews at the UK headquarters alongside the retiring Managing Director. Weekly Teams meetings were scheduled between Louis, the Managing Director, and the CEO in Denmark to discuss progress and address any challenges that arose.
The challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges in terms of the CEO's ability to travel to the UK due to restrictions. As a result, all interviews initially took place virtually via Teams. Additionally, attracting candidates with the requisite engineering experience, prior work experience in China, and suitability for an MD position proved to be a hiring challenge. Communicating the vacancy remotely during the pandemic was also challenging, as the client's office staff were working remotely from home.
The outcome
The client expressed great satisfaction with the progress made in securing their new Managing Director with Louis's assistance. Given the nature of the role, extensive negotiations were conducted regarding the final offer, but the outcome delighted all parties involved. The new Managing Director seamlessly settled into the role and subsequently engaged Quay Recruitment to source a Mandarin-speaking project engineer for the UK office, further cementing the client's trust in our services.