Placing a Financial Director for a multinational agribusiness in East Africa.
Agribusiness · East Africa · Financial Director · 48-hour shortlist
Context
An agribusiness operating across East Africa had been without a permanent Financial Director for several months after an unexpected departure. The vacancy was placing pressure on the business: financial reporting was delayed and the regional leadership team was absorbing responsibilities outside its normal remit. The business needed to move quickly on an appointment while maintaining their hiring standards.
The Challenge
The role called for a Financial Director with strong technical finance credentials, ideally a CA(SA) or equivalent, together with direct experience in complex, multi-country African environments. The candidate needed to understand currency volatility, multi-jurisdictional reporting and the practical demands of leading a finance function across markets with different infrastructure and regulatory frameworks.
The search required a combination of technical finance depth, senior leadership experience and direct exposure to African markets. Candidates with strong technical credentials did not always have the required regional experience, while candidates with African market experience were not always operating at the required financial leadership level. That combination made a direct search more appropriate than relying on applications from a job advertisement.
Our Approach
We took a detailed brief from the regional CEO and group CFO. This covered the technical requirements, leadership responsibilities and personal attributes that mattered for the role and the operating environment. We then approached candidates through our African network, including professionals based in the region and African professionals who had built international careers and were open to returning to the continent.
We assessed each candidate before presenting them to the client. Our assessment covered their technical qualifications, the relevance of their African market experience, their leadership approach and their motivation for the role. We presented candidates who matched the agreed requirements and discussed any relevant limitations with the client.
We delivered the initial shortlist within 48 hours of receiving the brief. Each candidate was accompanied by a written assessment covering their technical profile, African market experience and suitability against the agreed requirements.
The Result
Within two weeks of the initial brief, the client made an offer to one of the shortlisted candidates, who accepted it. The appointed Financial Director held a CA(SA) qualification and had eight years of senior finance experience across East and Southern Africa, including experience building finance functions in complex, multi-country environments.
The appointment gave the regional leadership team additional capacity to focus on the wider business. Financial reporting was brought up to date within the first quarter, and the business completed its annual audit on schedule, the first time it had done so in two years.
What this case study illustrates
- —Senior finance professionals with relevant African market experience may not be active on job boards. A direct search can reach candidates who are not applying for advertised roles.
- —In this search, an established network allowed us to deliver an initial shortlist within 48 hours while maintaining the agreed assessment process.
- —African professionals who have built international careers may be open to returning to the continent. They can form an important part of the search for senior roles when their experience matches the brief.
- —A thorough brief helps the recruiter assess candidates against the requirements that matter to the business. Understanding the leadership responsibilities, operating environment and personal attributes required made the shortlist more relevant to this search.
About this search
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