Executive Search
Case Study:

Type: retained executive search
Title: Executive Vice President
Role: sales, marketing, operations leadership
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Client: privately-owned IT Solutions firm
Collaboration: Owner, CEO, PE advisor, Deare
Completed by: Deare MN executive search team

Company Profile
Privately-owned, practice-based, technology agnostic, IT solutions firm in growth stage. Strengths include a highly experienced core of senior technology consultants, software engineers, developers, architects, PM, BA and full software development lifecycle assets.

With the help of a business advisor, the Chairman and CEO are in the process of executing a fully developed and invested growth strategy which will include building business within existing clients, new business development, and expansion into several new strategic markets. The current course and remarkable trajectory suggests that the company could 2x revenue within 9 business quarters.

Key Selection Criteria
15+ years of successful experience in enterprise IT consulting / solutions sales with focus on SLA and SOW project business
7+ years leading enterprise solutions sales teams, preferably on a regional or national basis
Strong sales methodology, strategy and planning skills, marketing and communications prowess, full executive leadership skill set
Degree required. MBA a plus.

Challenge
In order to manifest a detailed vision, strategy and roadmap for growth, the Owner and CEO of a privately-owned IT solutions firm required the addition of a senior executive to 1) lead execution of client growth strategies 2) lead the development and execution of branding and marketing initiatives 3) lead expansion into new markets 4) share vision, align and fuse existing branches 5) discover and exploit new growth opportunities. The requirement was specific: a top, senior-level, industry-specific leader was needed.

Solution
Deare was selected by the Owner/Chairman, CEO and a business advisor. The search committee requested to retain Rick Deare to handle the search personally. Rick launched immediately, supported by a research/process support associate.

Given the core responsibilities, especially the need for a high-action (field-level) business expansion catalyst, there were four optimal candidates known in the market space. The first-level approach was to partner closely with the Client team on a strategy to compel and attract one of the four targeted optimal prospects while other potential candidates were being developed.

Result
The partnership, trust and seamless cooperation between Client and search firm quickly transformed the search into a showcase example of a successful, inside-industry, top-talent extraction. Candidate courtship and interviews were orchestrated and executed seamlessly. A perfect fit with the culture, the number one prospect of the four initially targeted joined as EVP.