CEO approaching retirement age and Board of Directors wanted a CEO successor identified within 18 months

The requirement -
Our client was an international specialty chemicals company where the chief executive had served since the company’s formation over a decade ago. This individual was approaching retirement and, rather than appoint an external candidate with immediate effect, the board preferred to identify a high potential outsider to work closely with the current chief executive as deputy, and successor, for an appropriate period of time.

The solution -
Ridgeway Partners worked with the board and the chief executive to identify the critical specifications for the role. The company was seeking a senior operating executive with extensive international experience within their specialty manufacturing sector. While confidentially canvassing the market to identify strong candidates, we also ascertained that qualified individuals would be willing to join the company and to serve in an interim role under the current chief executive.

Concurrently with the external search, Ridgeway Partners assessed a few internal individuals to identify the leading internal candidate.

Ridgeway Partners recruited an external candidate with the skills, expertise and personality to complement those of the internal candidate. The combination of the two made a strong management team with the result that the board and resigning chief executive were confident that an appropriate succession solution had been found.