voccess
Example case study

Executive Search: Management for an industrial company

A medium-sized company discreetly sought a management succession. Through targeted direct approach within the relevant network, a structured requirements profile, and confidential preliminary discussions, a shortlist was developed that matched the company both professionally and culturally.

Example case study: anonymized and generalized. It illustrates our typical approach to such mandates – details of individual mandates remain confidential.

Initial situation

An owner-managed industrial company faced a generational change in management. The current leadership was to be handed over in the foreseeable future, but the successor was not to come from the family.

To avoid unsettling employees, customers, and suppliers, the search had to remain confidential, making a job ad inappropriate.

The challenge

  • Discretion towards employees, the market, and competitors
  • Suitable candidates hold leadership roles and are not actively seeking new opportunities
  • In addition to industry and leadership experience, the candidate must fit the culture of a family business
  • Owners and advisory board want to decide together
Our approach

How we proceeded

  1. 1

    Requirements profile with the owners

    In confidential discussions, we clarified what the new management should achieve, the future role of the family, and which values are non-negotiable.

  2. 2

    Market analysis and long list

    Using data-driven methods, we identified where comparable leaders are currently employed—in the industry itself and in related sectors—and created a long list.

  3. 3

    Discreet direct approach

    The approach was personal, without mentioning the company. We disclosed our client only at genuine interest and after a confidentiality agreement was reached.

  4. 4

    Structured interviews and fit

    We evaluated leadership experience, motivation, and cultural fit separately, documenting the reasons for each person's suitability.

  5. 5

    Shortlist and decision

    The owners conducted interviews with a small shortlist. We moderated, gathered references, and supported through to the contract stage.

Result

The owners could choose among candidates who matched professionally and understood the company culture. The search remained confidential until the announcement.

Because the decision was based on a jointly refined profile and transparent evaluations, it was well justified to both the family and the advisory board.

Takeaways for companies

  • Succession begins with clarity from the owners—not with the search.
  • For leadership roles, direct approach is the norm, not the exception.
  • Cultural fit should be included in the requirements profile from the start.
What sets us apart

Recruiting with a marketing DNA – data-driven and experienced

voccess combines classic recruiting expertise with what we bring from online and performance marketing: We approach the search for the right people as consistently and measurably as a successful campaign.

  • Data-driven instead of gut feeling

    We continuously measure job requirements, market and salary data, feedback, and fit. Decisions are based on numbers – the selection of candidates is made by experienced recruiters, not an algorithm.

  • AI-native marketing background

    Our team comes from an AI-native online and performance marketing background. We reach candidates as precisely as marketing reaches its target groups: on the channels where they engage, with messages that resonate – and we see what works.

  • Experience since 2014

    Since 2014, we have been recruiting specialists and executives. This experience is embedded in every briefing, direct approach, and shortlist – and in a realistic view of the market, salaries, and timelines.

  • Strong network

    Contacts with specialists and executives, and partners in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland developed over many years – enabling us to reach people who are not actively looking.

More example case studies

All references and case studies
  • Executive Search: Management for an industrial company

    Executive Search: Management for an industrial company

    A medium-sized company discreetly sought a management succession. Through targeted direct approach within the relevant network, a structured requirements profile, and confidential preliminary discussions, a shortlist was developed that matched the company both professionally and culturally.

    voccess
  • Executive Search: Country Manager for Market Entry in Germany

    An Austrian company aimed to establish itself in the German market and needed an experienced executive on site. Through direct approaches in the German market, a jointly refined requirement profile, and discussions with the owners, a shortlist was created that combined market knowledge and company culture.

    Read case studyvoccess

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