Client Background
Our client is a large construction company in New England.
Brief
The company had grown exponentially in the past 10 years and the HR Director was looking for a CFO to run the business with growing annual revenues.
The CFO would need to streamline and upskill the accounting function, which involved optimally using the existing technology and ERP systems, and strategically partner with the executive leadership team to land new projects and expand the business, especially in the east coast.
Skip to our search methodology pertaining to this assignment and find out how we engaged, sourced, assessed and delivered.
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Results
The selected candidate had 20 years of experience. As the CFO, she leads financial operations, technology and strategy while managing internal processes for budgeting, capital planning and forecasting. She partners with the leadership team bringing her expertise to issues related to business performance, change leadership, large project bids and strategic planning.
This case study demonstrates Page Executive’s powerful networks and wide reach to identify and engage with the right candidates for the role.
Search Methodology
Engagement
The HR Director approached Page Executive to work on the CFO role on a retained basis. Page Executive partnered closely with the company President and COO on the search and placement of the CFO.
Previously, the President and COO had worked with the same CFO for 25-30 years. When that CFO retired, the replacement they hired came from one of the largest construction companies in the U.S., and who unfortunately did not last beyond 2 years in the role.
Given this experience, the executive leadership team were apprehensive about hiring a CFO from an influential and prominent company owing to their considerations of cultural fit.
Sourcing
On the instructions of the President, Page Executive carried out this search confidentially. Access to the talent pool was limited given the company’s office was based 30 miles south of the Greater Boston Area. So, we began market mapping to help the client understand the available candidates who matched the requisites in terms of leadership experience and technical skills.
Given the location and confidentiality of the search, without disclosing the company name, we heavily advertised the role using our paid media partnerships, we tapped into our large networks of finance professionals we had previously placed in Boston over the past 10 years, pitched the role to our connections in the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), as well as leveraged our team’s networks in the Boston area with each of them resharing the job profile on their LinkedIn profiles.
Assessment
With our extensive reach garnering interest and applications, we interviewed and shortlisted 19 candidates. Apart from assessing their finance leadership experience especially with leveraging technology and processes, determining cultural fit of the candidates was crucial.
Delivery
From our shortlist of 19 candidates, 5 progressed through 3 different stages of interviews with the President, COO and the rest of the executive leadership team, until the final applicant was selected.
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