HOMAG, a German manufacturer of machines and system for the wood-processing industry, first requested CONSORT Group as part of International Executive Search Federation (IESF) in 2015 to find a Chief Finance Officer (CFO) for its Russian subsidiary. At that time five suitable candidates were presented. But despite the fact that the Client liked them, and the first installment for the search was paid, a candidate “that someone referred” unexpectedly appeared and was hired for the job.
Two years later, disillusioned with that candidate, HOMAG again sought CONSORT’s help in filling the CFO role. This time the emphasis was placed on the need for not just finding a competent financial controller but – first and foremost – a business partner – CEO’s right hand who would be actively involved in the business as a leader and a head of the financial function.
CONSORT was able to present in the shortest time possible six candidates who met all of the requirements: minimum ten years of experience as a CFO in a comparable-sized foreign manufacturing company, with fluent English, knowing SAP, responsible for reporting to western and Russian standards, and well-versed in Russian accounting.
Moreover, taking into account an “off-the-record” interest of all German customers in candidates with experience of working for German companies, CONSORT formed a short list consisting only of those who worked for most of their careers in brand-name German manufacturers.
The selected finalist, fluent in English and German, worked for ten years (!) in Germany as a Financial Controller for Central and Eastern Europe with a German manufacturer of welding equipment. Her return to Russia for family reasons luckily coincided with the offer from HOMAG RUS in Moscow.
We are sincerely happy that in this search an “exclamation mark” finally appeared instead of an “ellipsis”: the company and the candidate found each other!
