Chief Executive Officer
Role: CEO, Chief Executive Officer
Industry: EPC, Industrial Plant Engineering
Client background
A respected EPC company delivering project engineering and management for industrial and pharmaceutical plants. Its order book was moving towards larger greenfield projects, and the board wanted a leader who could take the business into its next decade.
The challenge
The company faced challenges in recruiting a Chief Executive Officer. Few leaders combine deep pharma engineering knowledge with full profit and loss ownership of a project business. Most strong candidates were settled in senior roles and were not looking for a move.
What the role demanded
- Lead the business and set its plan for the next decade
- Win and deliver greenfield projects for industrial and pharma clients
- Balance engineering quality, project margins and client relationships
- Build a leadership team able to grow with the order book
How we ran the search
DHRS ran a partner led executive search across EPC, EPCM and industrial engineering, targeting visionary leaders with both pharma engineering and business operations experience. We calibrated the brief with the board first, then mapped the leadership market across engineering consultancies, EPC contractors and pharma project owners. Every approach was made in confidence, because the right candidates were passive job seekers.
What we assessed for
- Track record of growing a project business, not only running projects
- Depth in pharma and industrial plant engineering, including regulatory expectations
- Commercial judgement on tendering, pricing and project risk
- Leadership style suited to an engineering led culture
Our in-depth interviews and profile assessments identified a highly qualified candidate with the qualifications and leadership qualities the board was looking for.
The outcome
We moved the search quickly and onboarded the CEO within the agreed timeframe. The organisation is now positioned to strengthen its project operations and deliver superior engineering services on its upcoming greenfield projects.
Why it matters
CEO hiring in EPC is rarely a public market. The leaders who can run a project business are known to clients and competitors, and they move only through a discreet introduction. That is where an executive search firm adds value.
Read more about our EPC and EPCM practice and our CEO search work.
Practice: Leadership hiring for EPC and EPCM companies.
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