Our client, a ‘traditional’ defence manufacturing business, had a nascent EW business that in the past years had grown to become almost 40% of the group’s revenue. With the departure of the incumbent MD, a replacement was needed who would take the business on the next phase of the journey, pushing further into areas such as cyber and AI warfare, and lead the continued growth (targeting doubling in size) of the business unit, which formed a fundamental part of the group’s overall strategic growth plan and revenue/ EBIT targets.
With areas of cyber and AI warfare still comparatively new, Savannah strategically decided not to restrict the search purely to the defence sector, but to include a broader reach into the advanced technology spheres. The need was not only for an experienced P&L leader, but someone who understood the multiplicities of advanced product and service development, and the ability to understand often unheard of customer requirements and to align technology solutions to meet those. Thus, Savannah delivered a truly diverse shortlist with candidates from a broad spectrum of technology backgrounds.
With a broad shortlist, the client was able to benchmark the different strengths that people from ‘traditional’ defence companies brought in comparison to those from wider technology backgrounds. In addition, we brought in data and insights from the market about competitor talent structures and competency trends which enabled the client to place the shortlisted candidates into the wider market context. The client was able to choose a candidate that met all the criteria both for the present, but also for the business moving forward. Savannah’s timely delivery also ensured the candidate was onboarded for a smooth transition with the out-going MD.
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