Case | Headhunting and market development
The challenge: finding a leader able to develop a market.
An international wine company needed to restructure its commercial operation in Brazil to develop its premium and super-premium brands.
The initial need was to find a professional who combined technical knowledge, market relationships and commercial ability. From the start it was clear that simply identifying a profile to represent the brand commercially would not be enough.
The reading: the profile had to match the complexity of the business.
The project had a long preliminary phase, because alignment meetings showed that the business plan needed to be reviewed before anything else. From contract signing to completion, more than 40 professionals made it clear that commercial experience alone would not be enough. The challenge required seniority, autonomy and the ability to build a market, which meant we needed to prove the candidate had achieved similar results.
Based on this reading, the initially defined profile was recalibrated towards a more senior leader, aligned with the goals and needs of the operation.
The decision: adjust the search before closing the hire.
Young Vines ran the process end to end, from profile definition and market mapping to competency assessment, reference checks, contract model adjustments, negotiation and formal acceptance of the offer.
The result: a hire aligned with the business challenge, with strong commercial presence and a solid base in marketing, budget management and relationships with decision makers.
The process led to hiring an executive with relevant experience building and positioning premium and super-premium brands in Brazil. It also refined the understanding of the competencies and seniority the role required, without necessarily breaking the budget.
What this project showed
A hiring need is not always fully defined from the start. Between what management has in mind and what a market reading reveals, answering the business challenge requires taking real time to understand the needs, expected results and goals of the role, calibrate with the market and, when needed, raise the bar to mitigate risk, shorten the payback time and follow a solid plan.