High Bar, Challenging Environment – Why the Appointment Was Anything but Trivial
- Newly created role with no internal successor or existing benchmark profile within the company
- Extremely high technical and business requirements due to a complex IT infrastructure and demanding customer markets
- Location disadvantages: top candidates from international corporations would need to relocate to a smaller Swiss city to join a mid-sized company
- Project launch during the year-end holiday period, with limited candidate availability
- Necessity of a precise cultural fit assessment: down-to-earth attitude and hands-on mentality were just as critical as professional excellence
Our Approach
Understand first, then search – why we deliberately started slowly
The process began with an in-depth analysis of the company’s situation. Rather than immediately launching the candidate search, Wirz & Partners deliberately took the time to fully understand the client’s current and future challenges. This step—initially viewed critically by the client—proved to be decisive: every candidate recommended as a result was a strong fit from the outset, without a single rejection due to lack of alignment.
The search profile was then refined collaboratively with the client and clearly, authentically positioned in the market. Key aspects included the strategic importance of the role, direct reporting to the executive board, and the scope to shape and transform within a technology-driven growth organization. Deliberately, candidates from international backgrounds were also approached—individuals willing to take on global responsibility within a mid-sized yet highly dynamic environment.
Expertise Meets Cultural Fit – The Search Profile in Detail
Key search criteria and competency areas:
- Building and transforming the IT organization from an operational unit into a true business enabler
- Aligning IT and corporate strategy, with responsibility for architecture, ERP, PLM, MIS, and MDM
- Proven experience at board and C-level positions in global organizations
- Strong communication skills across all hierarchy levels, in both German and English
- Entrepreneurial mindset combined with a pragmatic, execution-oriented approach
- Cultural fit: grounded personality, hands-on mentality, and a servant leadership style
The project execution followed our clearly defined methodology – combining structured market analysis, transparent process management, and decision frameworks that were clear and traceable at all times. All stakeholders were continuously informed about progress, context, and next steps.
Search & Selection Process
More than 20 strong profiles – how a powerful pipeline is built
The systematic market approach quickly resulted in an exceptionally strong pipeline. Thanks to a data-driven search strategy with a European scope, more than 20 high-caliber candidates were identified and assessed—both the quality and breadth of which positively surprised the client.
Overview of the selection process:
- Over 20 qualified profiles on the longlist, identified across Europe
- 5 weeks from mandate start to presentation of the shortlist
- 3 finalists in the final selection stage
- Innovative, fully digitalized selection process ensuring efficiency and comparability
- Successful placement after a total project duration of 5 months
Candidate experience as a differentiating factor – also for the client
The quality of preparation—both of the candidates and the stakeholders on the client side—was highlighted as a distinctive feature of the process. Feedback from candidates who were not selected was consistently positive. This strengthened the client’s employer brand and left a highly professional impression in the market.
Result & Client Value
A leadership personality who made an immediate impact
After five months of project duration—including the challenging year-end period—the position was successfully filled. The selected Global CIO stood out through proven international leadership experience, strong technological expertise, and the ability to act as a bridge between IT and business. The combination of strategic vision and pragmatic execution aligned perfectly with both the professional requirements and the company’s culture.
What the client gained in concrete terms:
- Successful placement of a strategically critical leadership role with a CIO of international caliber
- Clear positioning of IT as a business enabler with direct impact on the company’s growth strategy
- A consistent and efficient process despite a seasonally challenging starting point
- Excellent candidate experience, strengthening the client’s employer brand in the market
- Full real-time process transparency—for both client and candidates
Lessons Learned
What this mandate teaches for future C-level searches
- A thorough situational analysis before launching the search significantly increases the accuracy of candidate recommendations—and saves time overall
- Full digitalization of the process builds trust: real-time transparency clearly differentiates from market standards
- Cultural fit is as important as professional expertise in C-level appointments—especially in environments where groundedness and a hands-on mentality are core values
- Location disadvantages can be offset through compelling role positioning and authentic storytelling
- An excellent candidate experience sustainably strengthens the employer brand—even among candidates who are not selected
