The client is an established Swiss leasing provider and part of an internationally active group. The company offers financing and leasing solutions for businesses as well as financing solutions for private clients. It has been active in the market for more than 20 years, has a growing client base in Switzerland and is one of the leading providers in its segment.
The Chief Credit Officer reported directly to the CEO and also had a connection to group level. This placed the role at an important interface: between the Swiss business, group requirements, sales, compliance, risk management and operational credit administration.
At the core of the role was responsibility for the business and quality assessment of credit and leasing transactions. At the same time, the new CCO was expected to advise sales leaders on complex financing matters, act as a sparring partner for the CEO and coordinate the implementation of credit and leasing policies.
The role particularly included:
- leadership of Compliance and Sales Support
- sparring with the CEO
- advising sales leaders on complex financing structures
- strategic business planning
- coordination and compliance with credit and leasing policies
- overall responsibility for process quality, optimisation and digitalisation
- monitoring of risk factors and refinancing costs
- regulatory confidence in the credit and banking environment
- leadership, motivation and development of the credit administration team
Why the Market Had to Be Accessed Proactively
The best candidates for this kind of role are rarely actively visible.
The client had long-standing experience in recruiting specialist staff. For this key role, however, it was clear that a different approach was required. The relevant candidate market did not primarily consist of people actively looking for a new role, but of experienced leaders already working in similar positions.
A responsible executive summarised the logic of the search as follows:
“A good man who is doing a good job and is still motivated is not looking around — but those were exactly the people we wanted to reach.”
This is why the entire relevant Swiss banking, leasing and financing market was systematically analysed. The decisive factor was not the number of profiles, but the quality of the pre-selection. The search focused on personalities with proven experience as Chief Credit or Risk Officer, an understanding of credit and leasing transactions, and the ability to be operationally effective in an SME-like environment.
The search had to clarify:
- Who brings relevant CCO or Credit & Risk experience?
- Who understands leasing and financing structures in the Swiss SME market?
- Who understands regulatory requirements in credit and banking?
- Who can lead a team while also staying close to day-to-day operations?
- Who fits a culture shaped by trust, honesty and straightforwardness?
- Who is strong enough to bring solutions while leading in a team-oriented way?
The Target Profile: Not a Pure Controller, but a Solution-Oriented CCO
The client was looking for a leader who safeguards risk and enables business.
The profile was demanding. From a functional perspective, the role required at least 5 years of experience in the leasing or financing industry with a focus on the Swiss SME market. A solid educational background, good knowledge of applicable laws and regulations in credit and banking, and a strong understanding of credit and risk processes were also required.
At the same time, it was important to the client that the new CCO would bring more than theoretical knowledge. In an SME-like environment, leaders must be hands-on, remain close to daily operations and prepare decisions pragmatically. The role therefore required not only analytical capability, but also strong execution.
A responsible executive described the desired attitude as follows:
“We were not looking for a yes-man, but for a solution finder.”
This statement captures the core of the profile well. The new CCO had to keep a cool head in difficult situations, find creative solutions and earn the trust of the CEO, team, sales organisation and clients. The role required strong risk awareness, but not a blocking mindset. The client needed a CCO who could assess risks realistically, ensure compliance with policies and still think close to the business.
Particularly important were:
- CCO or Credit & Risk track record
- experience in leasing or financing
- focus on Swiss SME clients
- regulatory understanding in credit and banking
- ability to analyse complex financing structures
- operational hands-on mentality
- strong communication and problem-solving skills
- leadership without ego or elbow mentality
- ability to build trust with management, team and board
The Funnel Process: Broad Market, Consistent Filtering
More than 200 identified profiles were narrowed down to a high-quality selection.
The process was designed as a systematic funnel. First, the relevant market was analysed broadly. In total, more than 200 potential candidates were identified and filtered. From this, a selection of 12 candidates was presented to the client.
The quality of this selection was high: from the client’s perspective, all 12 profiles would generally have been suitable for interviews. Ultimately, 8 candidates were invited to first interviews, and 4 candidates reached the final interview round on site. Several finalists represented concrete hiring options.
The funnel process was particularly convincing for the client because it made clear that the presented profiles were not random individual findings. Instead, the market had been worked through and narrowed down in a structured way. This created confidence: the final selection was not based on coincidence or availability, but on a transparent and methodical market assessment.
The process created structure through:
- broad analysis of the relevant Swiss banking, leasing and financing market
- identification and filtering of more than 200 candidates
- refinement to 12 high-quality profiles
- invitation of 8 candidates to first interviews
- 4 candidates in the final interview round
- targeted preparation of candidates for the role, company and culture
- clear positioning of the opportunity towards experienced market profiles
Candidate Activation: The Role Had to Be Sold Convincingly
The decisive step was to inspire top candidates for an SME-like environment.
Many of the relevant candidates were already in strong positions at renowned companies. To attract them to the opportunity, the role had to be positioned clearly and credibly: not as a pure control function, but as a responsible CCO role with direct influence on the business, risk quality, process development and strategic planning.
It was particularly important to make the corporate culture tangible. The client was shaped by trust, reliability, honesty and straightforwardness. At the same time, the company offered short decision-making paths, a motivated small team and the opportunity to have real impact in a visible key role.
Candidates were therefore not only prepared functionally for the interviews. They were also made familiar with the company’s vision, culture and specific characteristics. This created enthusiasm for a role that combined responsibility, proximity to the business and room to shape.
The candidate approach focused on:
- visible influence within an international group
- responsibility for risk quality and business steering
- proximity to the CEO, sales organisation and board
- shaping processes, digitalisation and governance
- stable business with growth potential
- SME-like culture with short decision-making paths
- values such as trust, honesty and reliability
Result: A CCO Succession with Strong Decision Confidence
The position was appointed quickly and with several strong options.
The position was successfully appointed within 4.5 months from mandate agreement to contract signing. The shortlist was presented after just 4 weeks. The quality of the final selection was particularly strong: the client could have appointed several candidates and ultimately chose the personality who was the best fit functionally, culturally and entrepreneurially.
For the client, the appointment meant more than a solved succession. The new CCO role strengthens the credit and risk function, professionalises processes, supports sales in complex financing matters and creates additional security for the further development of the Swiss business.
Concrete client benefits:
- successful appointment of a strategically important CCO succession
- access to the strongest reachable profiles in the Swiss banking, leasing and financing market
- strong decision confidence through a systematic funnel process
- appointment of a leader with Credit & Risk experience
- strengthening of Compliance, Sales Support and credit administration
- better support for sales in complex financing structures
- safeguarding of regulatory quality and process responsibility
- cultural fit with an SME-like environment
- appointment of a role with direct impact on risk quality, growth and governance
Key KPIs:
- 4 weeks from mandate start to shortlist presentation
- more than 200 candidates identified and filtered in the market
- 12 candidate profiles presented
- 8 candidates invited to first interviews
- 4 candidates in the final interview round
- 4.5 months mandate duration
What This Mandate Shows
Credit and risk functions require technical depth, but also an entrepreneurial mindset.
- For CCO roles, regulatory confidence alone is not enough; the decisive factor is the combination of risk quality and business proximity.
- In SME-like organisations, leaders must think strategically while also being hands-on.
- The best candidates are often not actively looking and need to be won over for the opportunity.
- A systematic funnel process creates transparency and increases the quality of the final selection.
- Cultural fit is a decisive success factor in key roles with direct proximity to the CEO and board.
- A strong CCO appointment strengthens not only credit decisions, but also sales, governance and company development.
