The central question was not simply one of succession, but one of strategic leadership: Who could lead an established organisation with stability while credibly driving the necessary modernisation?
The initial situation came down to three core questions:
- Which leadership personality can combine change, digitalisation and operational responsibility?
- How can a specialised environment with a limited financial framework be positioned attractively?
- How can the decision-making committee gain confidence in an appointment of such significance?
The Area of Tension:
Why the Profile Was So Demanding
The required profile brought together several requirements that are rarely found in one person. On the one hand, the role called for CEO and managing director experience in an SME environment, business acumen and full operational responsibility. On the other hand, it required change experience, technological affinity and the ability to implement a digitalisation strategy effectively.
In addition, there was the organisation’s specific environment. The new CEO had to be able to engage with cultural creators, institutional stakeholders as well as national and international actors. High emotional intelligence, tact and clear leadership were required in equal measure.
The task was therefore not only demanding from a professional perspective, but also sensitive in terms of communication and culture.
Particularly demanding aspects included:
- the combination of strategic and operational overall responsibility
- a proven track record in organisational, process-related and technological change
- the promotion of a service-oriented and agile corporate culture
- the establishment of governance, transparency and improved business processes
- complex stakeholder management across cultural, institutional and business environments
- the need to understand digitalisation as an enabler without losing sight of people and the organisation
Positioning the Role:
Turning a Complex Function into a Compelling Leadership Mandate
The first decisive step was to position the role not merely through its responsibilities, but as a credible leadership mandate. The existing requirements profile was refined and translated into an approach that made the specific quality of the opportunity visible.
The focus was on purpose, stability and a mandate for change. The organisation had an established foundation, strong ethical values and the ability to invest in the necessary modernisation and digitalisation. This exact combination had to become clear and compelling for suitable executives.
The role was therefore not presented as a purely executive function, but as an opportunity in which modernisation would create direct added value for cultural creators.
The central message in the approach:
- This is about transformation with substance, not change for the sake of change.
- Digitalisation pursues concrete optimisation, efficiency and fairness goals.
- The role combines strategic leadership with direct impact for a purpose-driven organisation.
- The new CEO is tasked with developing structures, processes and culture further.
- Stability and long-term orientation form the basis for the upcoming transformation.
The Market Process:
Broad Direct Approach, Careful Assessment, Clear Shortlisting
The search was conducted through targeted direct approach. In total, more than 220 potential candidates were actively approached and 63 telephone screening interviews were conducted. This market process resulted in 12 carefully selected profiles, from which 8 candidates were ultimately chosen for the final interview round.
What mattered was not only the number of conversations, but the quality of the shortlisting. The profiles had to fit not only the formal requirements, but also be assessed in relation to leadership style, change experience, stakeholder capability and cultural fit.
Especially in a decision-making committee with varying levels of experience in such processes, this assessment was essential. The profiles were explained in detail, strengths were highlighted and connections were made visible, enabling a well-founded evaluation.
The process in figures and steps:
- More than 220 potential candidates actively approached
- 63 telephone screening interviews conducted
- 12 profiles included in the closer selection
- 8 candidates selected for the final interview round
- Shortlist presented after 5 weeks
- Case study format developed by incorporating the perspectives of the decision-making committee
- Interviews coordinated in a structured, discreet and reliable manner
The Decision Phase:
When Process Quality Matters in a Critical Moment
In the final phase, one preferred candidate initially prevailed. The contract had already been signed when an unexpected situation arose: the selected candidate failed to respond for several days. For the client, this became a clear warning signal.
Instead of applying pressure or playing down the situation, the matter was reflected on and assessed calmly. The decision was not defended simply because the process had already advanced; instead, the candidate’s actual behaviour was reassessed. This led to the conclusion that the collaboration would not be sustainable.
This was the moment when the value of a carefully managed process became evident: the second-placed candidate had been kept engaged throughout the process. As a result, the client was able to respond quickly. The second candidate accepted immediately.
The added value in this phase lay particularly in:
- calm assessment of an unexpected development
- protection of decision quality despite an advanced process stage
- securing a strong alternative until the final commitment
- professional guidance of the client in a sensitive situation
- swift continuation of the process without any loss of quality
The Result:
A CEO Appointment with Strategic Impact
The CEO role was successfully appointed. The new CEO became actively involved even before the official start, maintained close exchange with the client and asked the right questions. This created a solid foundation for the organisation’s continued strategic realignment.
For the client, the outcome meant more than filling an executive role. The organisation gained a leader who understands the transformation mandate, connects digitalisation with responsibility and can lead credibly in a complex stakeholder environment.
The fact that two strong personalities seriously committed to the role during the process also demonstrates how convincingly the organisation and the opportunity were positioned.
Client benefits at a glance:
- Successful appointment of a strategically central CEO role
- Appointment of a leader for transformation, digitalisation and organisational development
- High confidence in the selection through clear profile assessment and comparable decision-making criteria
- Professional guidance of a decision-making committee with varying levels of experience
- Relief through structured interview organisation and reliable process management
- Stability in a critical final phase through an actively maintained alternative
- Strengthening of the organisation’s strategic realignment
What Can Be Learned from This Mandate
This appointment shows that demanding executive search mandates are not decided by reach alone. What matters is whether a role is understood, refined and positioned in such a way that suitable executives recognise the true significance of the opportunity.
Key learnings:
- A specialised organisation needs role positioning that clearly conveys purpose, responsibility and mandate for change.
- In CEO appointments within a transformation context, the combination of leadership, digitalisation expertise, emotional intelligence and stakeholder confidence is decisive.
- A decision-making committee gains confidence when profiles are not only presented, but explained in a way that makes them comparable.
- Keeping strong alternatives engaged in the process is not a secondary task, but a key element of professional executive search.
- Especially in critical moments, calm and clear process management determines the quality of the outcome.
Mandate in Figures
- 5 weeks from mandate start to shortlist presentation
- More than 220 potential candidates actively approached
- 12 profiles in the closer selection
- 8 candidates in the final interview round
- 4 months total mandate duration
