The starting point was demanding: growth was driven both organically and through acquisitions. This created an environment that is constantly changing, improving and developing. For the new CHRO role, this meant that the task was not to manage a stable HR function, but to actively develop the organisation, leadership, culture and employee experience in a complex setup.
The role was designed as an executive management function reporting directly to the CEO. At the same time, the CHRO led an established HR team with 3 direct reports and 10 FTEs in total. The task combined strategic responsibility with pragmatic execution: defining the country-level HR strategy and aligning it with the HQ HR strategy, advising leaders, developing talent, advancing corporate culture, strengthening employer branding and defining and implementing HR KPIs.
The starting point was shaped by:
- a growing company with high transformation dynamics
- M&A and buy-and-build as part of the growth strategy
- an organisation present across all language regions of Switzerland
- a broad employee spectrum from medicine and logistics to corporate functions
- high requirements for emotional intelligence, empathy and communication strength
- an established HR team that needed to be led and further developed
- a CHRO role with an executive management mandate and direct reporting line to the CEO
The Area of Tension: Many Requirements, a Limited Market
The required personality had to think strategically, act entrepreneurially and reach people in very different environments.
The requirements for the new CHRO were broad and demanding. The client was looking for an experienced leader with CHRO experience who would not see a dynamic VUCA environment as a burden, but as an opportunity. The role required entrepreneurial thinking, a willingness to shape the organisation, service orientation and the ability to be effective even where not everything is defined down to the last detail.
The combination of strategic and human competence was particularly demanding. The CHRO had to further develop HR strategy, advise leaders at C-level and communicate credibly within an organisation made up of very different professional groups. Medical specialists, scientific profiles, logistics functions and classic corporate roles all bring different expectations towards leadership, communication and HR.
Another layer of complexity was multilingualism. The organisation covers all of Switzerland. Each language region has a team lead, and the CHRO role required confident communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries. German and English were required, while additional national languages were an advantage.
A member of the executive management team summarised the linguistic and cultural complexity as follows:
“If you need to speak English with one group, French with another team and later Italian on the same day, the relevant market becomes significantly smaller.”
Particularly demanding aspects included:
- CHRO experience in a dynamic, international environment
- ability to define and further develop the local HR strategy
- alignment with the global HR strategy
- C-level advisory and well-founded decision support for the CEO
- talent development, employer branding and strategic recruitment
- further development of corporate culture
- responsibility for payroll, HR administration, personnel marketing and employee satisfaction
- definition and implementation of HR KPIs
- communication across several language regions and employee levels
- pragmatic implementation strength in an environment with high transformation frequency
The Consulting Lever: Understanding Not Only the Profile, but the Company
The process began with the question of what kind of HR leadership the organisation really needed for its next phase.
A central success factor was not to define the CHRO role in isolation through tasks and requirements. The first step was to understand how the company works, how strongly growth and change shape daily operations, what the CEO expects from the role and what kind of leadership fits the organisation.
The original target picture was critically reflected. The client had clear ideas about the personality being sought. At the same time, the market showed that the combination of experience, multilingual capability, leadership strength, sector understanding and cultural fit was highly demanding. The profile was therefore not simply adopted, but refined together.
A member of the executive management team described this consulting approach as follows:
“It was not just about understanding a profile. What mattered was understanding our business and the way we work, and deriving the right target profile from that.”
This step led to a robust profile that considered both the company’s requirements and real market conditions. Especially for a CHRO role in a dynamic life sciences environment, this perspective is decisive: the ideal leader must not only be professionally strong, but also fit the pace of change, the culture and the leadership expectations.
The profile refinement focused on:
- understanding the growth logic and M&A dynamics
- positioning the role as an executive management function
- clarifying the CEO’s expectations regarding advisory, preparation and execution
- balancing strategic HR leadership with pragmatic implementation
- requirements regarding multilingualism and communication across all regions
- dealing with heterogeneous employee groups
- fit with a culture that offers a high degree of freedom to shape
- realistic assessment of available profiles in the market
The Search: Flexibility as a Quality Factor
When it became clear that the initial search field was not sustainable in the long term, the process was consistently realigned.
The search for the right CHRO proved demanding. The relevant market was limited, and the initial target profile had to be expanded during the mandate. At first, the focus was on a specific profile direction. After reviewing the first profiles and through intensive consultation, however, it became clear that opening up the search field was necessary to ensure the best long-term fit.
This step required honesty and process strength. Realigning a search when initial profiles have already been identified is challenging. At the same time, this decision was important in order not to remain tied to an overly narrow target picture. The search was therefore expanded and restarted without diluting the quality goal.
In the end, six first-class profiles were presented. This resulted in a final selection of 5 candidates. Particularly valuable was the transparent discussion of different scenarios: What consequences would a certain profile have for the organisation? Which strengths does a person bring? Which risks need to be considered? And which personality best fits the HR task and the company’s development in the long term?
The search and selection process included:
- joint refinement of the CHRO target profile
- alignment of requirements with real market conditions
- discussion of different profile variants and scenarios
- honest recommendation to expand the search field
- renewed market approach to ensure long-term fit
- presentation of six first-class profiles
- 5 candidates in the final interview round
- shortlist after 4 weeks
- successful appointment in under 5 months
The Decision: Fit for Role, Culture and Pace of Change
The successful appointment resulted from the combination of HR excellence, leadership and understanding of a multifaceted environment.
The successful appointment was not just a question of professional qualification. The decisive factor was the fit with the company’s specific situation: growth, M&A, international integration, high operational dynamics and a broad employee spectrum. The new CHRO had to deal with uncertainty, prepare decisions thoroughly, advise leaders and further develop the HR function with a strong service orientation.
For the client, the appointment meant gaining a leader who combines strong professional expertise with entrepreneurial thinking and communication strength. The new CHRO was expected not merely to manage change, but to actively shape it, develop talent, strengthen employer branding and advance corporate culture.
At the same time, the process showed how important continuous consulting is in executive search mandates. Over the course of the mandate, the role did not become narrower, but clearer. The search strategy remained flexible without losing precision. This combination led to the successful appointment.
Concrete client benefits:
- successful appointment of a strategically important CHRO role
- appointment of an HR leader for growth, change and organisational development
- improved decision quality through realistic market assessment and scenario discussions
- refinement of a demanding target profile considering both market and company reality
- strengthening of talent development, employer branding, HR strategy and corporate culture
- appointment of an executive management function reporting directly to the CEO
- suitable leadership for a multilingual, heterogeneous environment
- flexible realignment of the search without loss of quality
Key KPIs:
- 4 weeks from mandate start to shortlist presentation
- 5 candidates in the final interview round
- Under 5 months mandate duration
What This Mandate Shows
CHRO appointments in dynamic organisations succeed when profile, market and cultural reality are brought together openly.
- In a VUCA environment, HR leadership requires more than functional expertise: what matters are leadership, empathy, advisory strength and implementation capability.
- A CHRO profile must fit the organisation’s growth logic, especially in the context of M&A and high transformation speed.
- Multilingual capability and cultural agility can significantly narrow the relevant market and must be considered early.
- An overly narrow target profile should be reviewed during the process and expanded where necessary.
- Honest consulting is particularly valuable when search strategy and expectations need to be adjusted.
- A successful CHRO appointment strengthens not only the HR function, but also leadership, culture and the organisation’s ability to change.
