Business case
Group CFO
Industrial
SCENARIO
A complex industrial international player, in the North of Italy, backed by Institutional Funds, was looking for the new GROUP CFO (CEO-1), with the goal to:
- Deliver impact in driving finance as strategic partner of the business, across new company goals and transformation mission
- Ensure full domain of technical topics, while communicating effectively with Investors, Board and CEO, and as well as all Operating peers and Financial Institutions
CHALLENGE
- Start highly operational yet with strong business acumen: the situation required a quick impact person, willing to engage directly in individual matters but not losing sight of overall business trajectory
- Bring a across a structured approach to Finance, and make it progressively best in class function
- Deliver visibility to Stakeholders and Top Management, along with a robust information package
Some internal complexities arising from changes that had not yet been announced added significantly to the complexity, both for the management of the mandate and for the motivation of the candidates in the necessary ambiguities of the process.
STRATEGY
Our search started in Italy and soon expanded at international level to identify senior target profiles, across diversified, international industrial environments.
The target for the Client needed to include 1) sourcing from contract manufacturing and order management industries, and from a Finance track with a proven valuable contribution, 2) recognized credibility and demonstrated track of achievements in contexts with high pressure on transformation, and 3) ability to focus on people and organisation on the one hand, while navigating upwards in institutional environments on the other.
RESULTS
Short list included target profiles from Italy, as well as some relevant senior profiles of Italians abroad.
Close partnership with CHRO to calliper the fit resulting from a thorough candidate comparison on one side, and the combination of internal judgment and stakeholder vision on the other.
Lateral ideas were included to complete the picture and facilitate the Client’s decision.
Since joining our Client’s organisation, the CFO has managed significant additional challenges on top of those designed prior to the start of his assignment, including a major corporate crisis and the consequent significant refinancing, while at the same time establishing close ties with the leadership team.