SEARCH: Senior Plant Director - FMCG - Belgium

Search overview

The company

• Global net revenues of approximately $32 billion in 2022.
• Holds the #1 global position in biscuits (cookies and crackers) and #2 in chocolate.
• 1000+ Operational staff, own cost centre, P&L, major investment, and transformation program underway.
• Strong work councils in play.

The search

The vision is to secure new leadership to create strong partnerships across the business to ensure the delivery of their supply chain strategies in line with their manufacturing capability and growth agenda. 

At the stage of instruction, the client had exhausted all internal processes including succession planning and external talent acquisition leading to the immediate requirement of specialist external support.

Post Consultation focus

‍From our initial consultation it was clear we needed to probe the following areas;

• Historic leadership style, action, and results
• How the workforce feel and think
• Corporate values, organisational vision, and company culture
• Growth, transformation, and investment agendas
• Assessment of the current management team collaboration

S-CAP Tools deployed

• Operational Maturity Assessment
• Cultural Assessment
• Leadership Dynamics 

Mutually agreed Search approach

• Critical success factors and desired future state outcomes
• Competency matrix definition (Technical and Behavioural)
• Designed bespoke evaluation assessment from S-CAP inputs
• Value proposition creation to attract passive candidates.
• Project plan the process, stakeholder accountability, and route to success

Execution

Research & Outreach

•  Mapped relevant high-volume industries and firms of comparable, complexity, and maturity.
• Conscious of cultural sensitivity, and an alignment of client’s value-streamed organisational structure.
• Highlighted specific “People of interest” and mutually agreed on NORTH STAR profile.
• Solidified long list through a range of data-lead, industry-leading tools and headhunting techniques
• Candidate universe defined – Commenced 4-tier confidential outreach, headhunt &evaluation campaign

Evaluation 

Phase 1

Value prop delivered – (Stress test)

Phase 2

Exchange of information under NDA – (Stress test)

Phase 3

Competency interview - – (Stress test)

Phase 4

Behavioural assessment - including cultural fit, leadership style, personality, EQ/IQ

Shortlist delivery of six candidates within the agreed timeframe accompanied by a detailed search report and SWOT analysis for each prospect

Result

• Advisory and guidance to select focus three candidates
• Melium provides client-side support to design and run the internal interview process
• Commercial negotiation assistance to ensure a “right-first-time” offer

Melium Consulting successfully identified and attracted a factory director in line with the initial candidate profile and mutually agreed competencies. 

We provided all candidates with a positive, consistent and engaging experience whilst relieving the client of the administrative burden of managing another lengthy and complex recruitment process.

Leadership hired to operate cross-functionally to develop and implement a three-year strategic transformation plan, and annual operating model for their largest factory in Western Europe.

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