Client background
Our client is an AIM-listed healthcare business in the UK. Having initially tried a direct approach they decided to enlist the support of a search business to make their first legal hire. This was a critical role for a company looking to main list in the coming years and the in-house recruitment team lacked the experience assessing senior legal candidates.
The brief
Our client was looking to hire an experienced General Counsel and Company Secretary who in their role as trusted advisor to the board, would help navigate the commercial risks, shifting regulatory requirements and corporate process that are inevitable in the pathway to main market listing and beyond.
Skip to our search methodology to find out how we engaged with our client, sourced candidates, assessed them and delivered this assignment.
The results
The successful applicant was an award-winning lawyer with 20+ years of experience in FTSE, AIM and private equity backed businesses. Since joining, they have proved invaluable, quickly aligning with the company’s strategy whilst also offering a different perspective on horizon scanning and risk management.
Transparency was key to the success of this assignment. We ensured that candidates stayed engaged through the hiring process and that we stayed accessible and honest with our client to ensure the end-to-end headhunting process was satisfactory and seamless for all parties.
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Search methodology
Engagement
The HR Director had reached out to Page Executive and two other search specialists for this search. Our initial pitch led to an interview with the CFO and CEO, who were impressed with our track record of GC placements and our strong network of candidates nurtured over two decades.
As expected by candidates at this level given the level of assessment involved, we worked on a retained basis signifying the mutual commitment to the successful outcome of the role.
Sourcing
In addition to leveraging our LinkedIn network and database, our research team mapped out a talent pool with relevant technical and sector experience, board-level exposure and track record embedding and developing legal teams in growing businesses.
To leave no stone unturned we white-labeled a job advertisement for the role to attract interest from not only active but passive candidates as well.
Assessment
Beyond technical legal acumen that can be found on paper, we needed to identify the individuals who demonstrated leadership skills, risk agility and a commercial growth mindset, along with the capability of rolling up their sleeves in a hands-on role.
From over 200 applicants we completed a primary screen of 73 candidates to arrive at a long list of 25.
We then utilised competency and situational-based questions to test the 25 candidates against the above-mentioned competencies and applied a scoring-based measurement framework to assess them objectively and methodically.
After this process, we presented our 5 shortlisted candidates to the client, in person, detailing their backgrounds, motivations and our reasons, answering any questions they had.
Delivery
Following the thorough internal interview schedule and meeting with the relevant key stakeholders, an offer was made to the preferred applicant. Presented with the scenario where the candidate received a competing offer from another organization, we supported them with their decision-making process, ultimately culminating with the successful appointment of the role.