Our client is a global production company operating in the metalworking / machinery industry, having manufacturing sites throughout Western Europe and Hungary as well. The head office is based in The Netherlands.

Finding a new Managing Director

The role was open due to the retirement of the previous Managing Director, with the aim of having a minimum 6 months long handover period during which the two directors could successfully work together. The Hungarian operation was also in the middle of a production site relocation / expansion(from 4000m² to 8000m²), which made the importance of finding the right person even more significant. 

Besides having full P&L responsibility, the aim of the role was also to ensure smooth handover, carry on with all the developments / process improvements that were essential for the rapid growth period the company was going through, implement a new ERP system and double the production in 5 years. 

Headhunting / search methods

Wyser Hungary created and presented a detailed hiring strategy to the ex-Managing Director and the Dutch owners, which included a broad advertising campaign and headhunting search activity (focusing on mid-sized, multinational metalworking companies operating in the Eastern side of Hungary) in order to find the most competent and motivated candidates on the market. 

It was crucial that the shortlist had to include candidates possessing the following experience & background mix / portfolio: Mechanical Engineering degree, 10+ years’ experience in plant management / production operation management (with full P&L responsibility) in the metalworking industry, extensive knowledge of stamping, welding, forming technologies, relevant experience in “Transfer-OfWork” projects (production line relocation and new factory build-up projects), previous experience in implementing ERP systems from scratch, experience in managing a company size of 100-150 people.

Wyser set a candidate generation timeline of 2 weeks, then another 2 weeks for 1st, 2nd and 3rd round interviews along with an extensive online personality testing procedure for applicants that made it to the 2nd round at least. Wyser successfully met the deadline, and presented a shortlist of 7 stand-out candidates to the ex-Managing Director in 2 weeks. Each candidate was brought to 1st round interviews, 5 candidates made it to the 2nd rounds, and 2 candidates were selected for the final interviews. 

Successful Placement

As a result of the consultants’ thorough research of the region’s metalworking production segment, it was confirmed to Wyser that both candidates who attended the last round interview could have been offered the job. Wyser assisted with the final selection by managing the offer to the chosen candidate, and providing detailed feedback to the ones who participated in the process. Given that the successfully selected candidate was able to start immediately, the handover period ended up to be 8 months, which was an additional plus to the client.