The Situation
This building materials manufacturer, part of a wider group of well-known industry names, had steadily grown turnover over recent years. However, they’d made do with a competent Sales Manager running the commercial side of the business for too long. Four competitors were beginning to gain traction and the client needed a director to take ownership across pricing strategy, key account management (merchants and specifiers), and product strategy. Added to this, they wanted to bring marketing back in-house after years of outsourcing.
The Consequences
Without someone who could genuinely hold commercial, sales management, and marketing remit, the business risked either compromising on the growth target or building out an extra layer of leadership it hadn't budgeted for. The danger of competitors stealing the march on this manufacturer was very real and imminent.
The Challenge
This needed to be a sensitive search as the existing long serving Sales Manager wasn't yet aware a new board-level role was being created. Additionally, in my experience of headhunting within building products, having this blend of strategic ownership was tough to find; especially given they must reside in the West Midlands. This person needed strong exposure to the markets served.
The Approach
Rather than search for a traditional Commercial Director and hope both sales management and marketing came as a bonus, I reframed the brief around the blend the business actually needed: someone equally comfortable setting pricing strategy and account structure as owning marketing direction. Purely focusing on job titles was not the right approach.
The Result
This concluded in a broad, open search. Over 100 individuals were identified, with over half of these quickly dismissed as too narrow. Marketing Directors, Sales Directors, and Commercial Directors were all approached. Ultimately, the person taken on held a Head of Sales title. The depth of his background firmly complemented the requirement.
Does this resonate?
A job description built by combining every gap on the board rarely describes a real person. If your ideal hire looks like two roles stitched together, the search needs to start from the blend you actually need, not the “two roles in one” advert most agencies would run with.
Let's talk — mgoldsmith@mgheadhunting.co.uk / 07570 740490
