Case Studies

Searches That Moved the Needle

A selection of recent engagements — the mandates, the challenges, and the outcomes.
Financial Services

Chief Financial Officer

A $2B regional bank undergoing digital transformation

The Challenge

The incumbent CFO had departed unexpectedly during a critical regulatory review. The board needed a replacement who could manage the immediate compliance demands while also leading a multi-year technology modernization of the finance function.

Our Approach

We mapped the intersection of traditional banking finance expertise and digital transformation experience — a narrow universe. We engaged 40+ candidates across commercial banking, fintech, and Big 4 advisory before presenting a shortlist of four.

The Outcome

Placed within 7 weeks. The appointed CFO led the bank through a successful regulatory examination and has since overseen a $120M core banking system replacement.

7 weeks

Time to placement

40+

Candidates assessed

3 years

Tenure to date

Technology

Chief People Officer

A PE-backed SaaS company scaling from 300 to 1,000 employees

The Challenge

The company had outgrown its HR function and needed a CHRO who could build the people infrastructure for rapid scale — while preserving the culture that had made it successful.

Our Approach

We focused on candidates who had navigated the 300–1,000 headcount inflection point at high-growth technology companies. Culture alignment was weighted as heavily as functional capability in our assessment framework.

The Outcome

Placed a CHRO from a comparable SaaS business who built a 12-person HR team, implemented a new HRIS, and maintained a 4.6 Glassdoor rating through a period of significant organizational change.

5 weeks

Time to shortlist

4.6★

Glassdoor maintained

3x

Team growth supported

Strategic HR Advisory

HR Policy Overhaul & Compliance Audit

A 1,200-person retail group with fragmented HR practices across 14 locations

The Challenge

Rapid acquisition-led growth had left the business with inconsistent HR policies, undocumented employment practices, and significant exposure to regulatory risk. A pending labour audit made the situation urgent — the CHRO needed a structured, defensible HR framework within 90 days.

Our Approach

We conducted a full HR compliance audit across all 14 sites, mapping policy gaps against current employment legislation. We then designed a unified policy suite — covering contracts, grievance, disciplinary, leave, and performance — and facilitated a structured rollout with line manager training.

The Outcome

The business entered its labour audit with a complete, compliant policy framework. Zero findings were escalated. The CHRO credited the engagement with reducing employee relations incidents by 40% in the following year.

90 days

Full policy framework delivered

0

Audit findings escalated

40%

Reduction in ER incidents

Employee Performance Management

Performance Framework Design & Implementation

A 900-person financial services firm with no structured performance management system

The Challenge

The firm had grown rapidly but relied on informal, inconsistent performance conversations with no standardized KRAs, KPIs, or review cycles. High performers were leaving due to lack of recognition and career clarity, while underperformance was going unaddressed — creating both retention and accountability risks.

Our Approach

We designed a BSC-aligned performance framework from the ground up — defining role-specific KRAs and KPIs across all levels, building a two-cycle annual review structure, and creating calibration guidelines for managers. We ran workshops with senior leadership to embed the framework and trained 80+ line managers on conducting structured performance conversations.

The Outcome

The framework was fully implemented within one performance cycle. Manager confidence in performance conversations improved significantly, high-performer attrition dropped by 32%, and the business completed its first company-wide calibration exercise with consistent outcomes across all departments.

32%

Drop in high-performer attrition

80+

Managers trained

1 cycle

Full rollout achieved

HR Digitization

HRIS Selection, Implementation & Process Digitization

A 1,500-person logistics business operating across 8 countries with manual HR processes

The Challenge

Rapid acquisition-led growth had left the business with inconsistent HR policies, undocumented employment practices, and significant exposure to regulatory risk. A pending labour audit made the situation urgent — the CHRO needed a structured, defensible HR framework within 90 days.

Our Approach

We conducted a full HR process audit to map current-state workflows and identify digitization priorities. We then led a structured HRIS selection process — evaluating five platforms against the business's multi-country, multi-currency, and compliance requirements — before managing end-to-end implementation, data migration, and a phased rollout with change management support for HR teams and line managers across all regions.

The Outcome

The business went live on a unified HRIS within 5 months. HR administrative time was reduced by 55%, payroll error rates dropped to near zero, and the business achieved full audit-trail compliance across all 8 operating countries for the first time.

55%

Reduction in HR admin time

5 months

Full HRIS go-live

8

Countries brought into compliance

Industrial

Chief Operating Officer

A $500M manufacturing business preparing for international expansion

The Challenge

The company needed a COO who could run a complex multi-site manufacturing operation while building the operational infrastructure for entry into three new markets. The CEO wanted someone who had done it before — not someone who thought they could.

Our Approach

We ran a global search focused on executives who had led international manufacturing expansion from a similar revenue base. We assessed 28 candidates across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

The Outcome

Placed a COO with direct experience scaling a comparable manufacturing business into Europe and Southeast Asia. International expansion is on track, with two new facilities operational within 18 months of appointment.

8 weeks

Global search timeline

28

Candidates assessed globally

2

New facilities opened

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