Executive Summary
A growth-oriented Swiss software company was looking for a Head of Finance & Controlling to join its C-level team — someone who would not only excel technically, but who would deliberately bring fresh perspectives to the management team. Diversity was not a buzzword but a genuine selection criterion. Through an intensive engagement with the role profile and a structured search process, it was possible to present two outstandingly qualified finalists within less than four months — candidates who were fundamentally different in personality and background. The ultimately selected candidate integrated seamlessly into the team while bringing exactly the kind of fresh impetus the company had been looking for.
Initial Situation & Challenge
A growing technology company with a clear ambition: technical excellence alone is not enough.
The client is one of the leading software houses in Switzerland. With a solid customer base spanning banking, insurance, healthcare, public administration and industry, as well as an established international presence, the company had been growing above the market average for years. Innovation areas such as voice recognition, predictive analytics, cyber security, e-health and e-government solutions shape its service portfolio and place equally high demands on internal governance structures.
The position of Head of Finance & Controlling was to be filled as part of a succession arrangement. The role encompasses international accounting and reporting, project controlling, financial planning and budgeting, ERP and BI responsibility, and the function of sparring partner to the CFO. The role reports directly to the CFO and leads a team of five.
What made the search particularly demanding was not the technical requirements alone, but the strategic ambition behind them: Diversity in terms of personality, gender, age and background was an explicit goal – one that was meant to be reflected in the selection process from the very start.
Key challenges during this phase:
- Succession arrangement for a business-critical leadership role with direct CFO reporting line
- High technical requirements: international accounting, controlling, ERP expertise (ideally Abacus), BI & analytics
- Diversity as a strategic selection criterion — not a secondary consideration but an explicit objective
- Cultural fit within a dynamic, technology-driven environment that operates like a startup despite its established size
- Finance & Controlling as a business enabler — the right candidate would need to actively embed the function within operational business
Our Approach
Invest more time at the start to make better decisions at the end.
The process began with an in-depth analysis of the client's situation and environment. Before any role profile was formulated, the focus was on understanding: How does the company operate? What defines its culture? What kind of personality will have lasting impact? This upfront investment was a deliberate feature of the collaboration — and was explicitly noted by the company's CEO as unusual and valuable.
The resulting role profile reflected the realities of the market while being deliberately crafted to attract a diverse range of profiles — technically precise, yet intentionally open on the personality side. The aim was to maximise the reach of the search without sacrificing the clarity needed for meaningful evaluation.
The market was approached exclusively through structured direct outreach. Candidates were identified and contacted on the basis of both professional fit and personal suitability — regardless of whether they were actively considering a move.
Guiding principles of the approach:
- Deep understanding of company culture and role requirements as the foundation for precise market engagement
- Role profile as a tool for reaching diverse profiles — technically clear, deliberately open on personality
- Exclusive direct outreach to reach leaders who are not actively visible on the open market
- Technical competence, leadership quality and diversity treated as equally weighted selection criteria
- Close collaboration with the client from day one — with shared decision confidence as the goal
Search & Selection Process
A tightly managed process that takes both structure and dialogue seriously.
Based on the role profile, the market was approached systematically. The initial personal outreach focused on authentically conveying the substance of the role and the company environment. Many of those approached were not actively exploring a career move at the time — which made the quality of the conversation decisive.
During the evaluation phase, the focus extended beyond technical qualifications to include leadership understanding, communication strength and cultural fit. The process was tightly scheduled: a qualified shortlist was presented four weeks after mandate start. Four finalists then entered a multi-stage interview process — two of whom were equally strong on paper, yet markedly different in personality, background and range of experience.
That was precisely the goal: not to identify one obvious candidate, but to give the client a genuine, meaningful choice — between excellent but deliberately different profiles. The decision went to a candidate who, alongside full technical qualification, brought fresh perspectives and clearly articulated goals to the table.
Process overview:
- Systematic market analysis and identification of suitable profiles
- Structured direct outreach with substantive initial conversations
- Multi-stage interviews to evaluate technical competence, leadership quality and cultural fit
- Shortlist presented four weeks after mandate start
- Four finalists in the final interview round
- Continuous alignment and joint reflection with the client after each process phase
Results & Client Value
Placed in under four months — with a decision the whole team stands behind.
The position of Head of Finance & Controlling was successfully filled within less than four months. The outcome matched the jointly defined target profile in every respect: technically grounded, culturally aligned and diversity-conscious — precisely what the company had set out to achieve. The client's CEO reflected that both finalists had been fully convincing on technical grounds, but that their differences in personality and professional journey had made a truly meaningful decision possible.
For the company, the placement meant more than filling a vacant role. A new force joined the leadership team with a clearly defined mandate for change: to establish Finance & Controlling as a business enabler and embed the function proactively within operational business. The appointed leader stands for purposeful change — and is a strong fit for a company that has remained agile and innovation-driven despite its established maturity.
Value delivered to the client:
- Successful placement of a business-critical leadership role within the agreed timeframe
- Two technically equivalent finalists with deliberately different profiles — a genuine choice rather than a single recommendation
- A leader with drive and a clear agenda for change and demonstrated integration potential
- Relief for internal resources through a fully managed, transparent process
- Trusted collaboration at management level enabling an informed and well-supported decision
Key KPIs:
- 4 weeks from mandate start to shortlist presentation
- 4 finalists in the final interview round
- Less than 4 months total mandate duration
Lessons Learned
What made this success possible: preparation, precision and a shared picture of the goal.
- A role profile that actively invites diversity rather than structurally excluding it transforms the quality of the final outcome.
- The deeper the understanding of the company and its culture at the outset of the mandate, the more precise and effective the subsequent outreach.
- Structured direct outreach is the key lever for reaching leaders who are not visible on the open market.
- Technical excellence and personal difference are not mutually exclusive — the process must be designed so that both can be assessed simultaneously.
- Close, continuous alignment between client and search partner builds the decision confidence that leads to a truly supported outcome.
