Managing Director for India | Global Packaging Company
Given the opportunity to search for a senior executive who had considerable operations and transformation expertise, NGS Global sourced and secured the services of a high-caliber, experienced leader.
Background
A 100-year-old global leader in consumer packaging, headquartered in Europe with presence in 38 countries and 114 locations around the world, was looking for a leader for their India business. The firm had been present in India since 1999, and their India operations is today among their largest globally. The Indian subsidiary is also listed on stock exchanges in India.
The Need
Our client was seeking to bring on board a Managing Director (CEO) for their India business, who would also be part of their global executive team for the flexible packaging business unit. The firm’s India operations, comprising over 3,000 employees, 17 manufacturing plants and an annual revenue exceeding INR 25 billion, was among the largest businesses for our client worldwide. The individual would need to ensure that our client remained at the forefront of the flexible packaging industry in India. Fundamental objectives of the role included balancing growth and cost optimization, as well as exploring new packaging segments to potentially enter into. Additionally, as a result of two major acquisitions in the past, business consolidation and operational transformation were integral priorities.
Strategy and Approach
The client was specific that the candidate came with a demonstrated track record managing equivalent scale of operations, driving change and transformation, and with the leadership ability to contribute to the growth of the business segment globally. While the candidate was expected to be equally at ease on the manufacturing/ operations front as well as with customers/the market, the focus was on the former, as the client believed those competencies were mandatory to drive the change that they were looking for in India. Our client was open to talent globally in addition to candidates in India, provided they met the key criteria.
We researched the global market thoroughly, in a structured manner, to identify target companies and potential candidates that matched the essential requirements. For several target companies, the team had to break down organization structures via cold calling because there wasn’t much information readily available. The desired skill set was particularly specific, and NGS Global needed to ensure that the candidates were assessed in depth with regards to their ability to transform operations, within the context of a multi-cultural work environment that emanated from a global company who had in the past acquired two Indian companies, and the associated need to integrate them all together.
The candidates – including a few expat prospects - were put through a thorough evaluation and assessment by NGS Global and thereafter by the client, before the final candidate was offered the position. The successful candidate came with a track record of growing and building businesses in India and was most recently the CEO of the packaging and printing business unit at a large Indian conglomerate. His ability to objectively assess challenging situations, manage culturally diverse teams, and apply Lean Six Sigma best practices to drive operations transformation, were key considerations in his favor..
Our NGS Global Value-Add
• The ability to understand the key requirements of the client and execute a thorough and structured research methodology leading to the discovery of candidates who were not easy to locate in databases or online.
• Thorough assessment of candidates based on the essential criteria specified by the client meant that only the most suitable candidates were sent to the client for consideration.
• Partner-led search execution enabled us to attract several passive candidates to consider the role, including expat candidates.
• Proactive engagement with both the client and candidates during a process that took several months, to make sure that we achieved the desired outcome.
Contact Alok Tripathi (Project Lead)
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