The position was newly created. Its objective was to strengthen direct market development of SME pension fund clients, with a focus on companies with more than 50 employees. The role was based in German-speaking Switzerland and reported to the Chief Investment Officer as well as the Head of Sales & Business Development in the private banking environment.
The role focused on:
- defining and implementing the direct go-to-market strategy
- advising and selling pension fund solutions to SMEs
- direct sales to pension fund managers and pension fund foundation board representatives
- training and expert support for the sales team
- account planning and account-winning strategy together with the sales team
- strengthening a young, ambitious team with specialist expertise
Why the Profile Was Difficult to Find
The client needed a pension professional with expertise, sales ability, network strength and cultural fit.
The requirements for the role were ambitious. The ideal candidate had to bring experience in occupational pensions, a strong network in the sector and high advisory competence. At the same time, the person needed to think ahead, grow with the organisation and take responsibility in a dynamic environment.
From a technical perspective, the role required know-how in topics such as BVV, BPV, IAS 19 and Swiss GAAP FER 26, as well as familiarity with cantonal supervisory authorities and the Swiss occupational pension supervisory environment. Relevant qualifications in occupational pensions were also important, for example in occupational pension advisory, pension fund management, employee benefits or as an occupational pension expert.
Personality was equally decisive. The client was not looking for a large-bank profile, but for an open, trustworthy and client-oriented personality with an SME mindset, team orientation, a clear focus on what matters and genuine enthusiasm for pensions and pension fund business.
A responsible executive summarised the starting point as follows:
“What was missing was someone who could help the team move forward – technically strong, well connected and team-oriented.”
The demanding combination included:
- deep expertise in occupational pensions
- network in the pension fund environment
- advisory competence and sales strength
- understanding of investments and asset-liability management
- ability to support sales teams with expert knowledge
- entrepreneurial spirit and hands-on mentality
- team orientation without ego or elbow mentality
- cultural fit with a grounded, regionally rooted company
Market Realism Instead of a Wish Profile
Consulting helped focus the search profile and set the right priorities.
At the beginning, the wish was understandable: a person who could cover sales, specialist expertise, network, advisory strength, team fit and entrepreneurial thinking equally well. In the market, however, it became clear that this perfect combination was hardly available. This was where a key value of the collaboration became visible.
The requirements were not weakened, but sharpened. Together, the client and search partner defined which capabilities were truly critical for success and which strengths could be complemented in practice by the team, training or development. This turned a very broad wish profile into a realistic but still ambitious target profile.
A responsible executive described this value as follows:
“The open reflection that this perfect combination hardly exists helped us realistically narrow down what truly matters.”
This market perspective was particularly important because the position was newly created. There was no direct predecessor role to use as a reference. The search therefore had to be precise, marketable and open to different types of profiles at the same time.
Profile refinement created clarity on:
- must-have criteria in specialist knowledge, advisory capability and pension experience
- realistic weighting of sales experience and network strength
- cultural fit with the existing team
- relevance of entrepreneurship and openness to change
- distinction between senior experts and emerging talents
- assessment of motivation to change and development potential
- prioritisation of requirements for interviews and case studies
The Process: Structure for a Small, Highly Committed Team
Standardised candidate profiles, clear assessments and active moderation gave the client confidence.
After the target criteria had been defined, around 20 carefully assessed candidate profiles were presented. All profiles were prepared in a standardised format and included clear summaries as well as assessments of strengths, development potential and motivation to change. This structure helped the client maintain an overview and make well-founded decisions quickly.
The selection process was focused and differentiated: from around 20 profiles, 8 candidates were invited to first interviews. From there, a narrower selection of 4 candidates was invited to work on case studies.
The interview process was closely and actively supported. The interviews were prepared, moderated and time-managed in a structured way. Targeted impulses were also provided during the conversations so that key topics were not overlooked and each candidate could be assessed in a comparable way.
The process supported the client through:
- standardised preparation of all candidate profiles
- clear assessment of strengths, potential and motivation to change
- transparent decision-making foundations for pre-selection
- support and moderation during interviews
- targeted impulses during the conversations
- structured assessment of specialist depth and team fit
- proactive communication between interviews
Case Studies as a Decision-Making Tool
The final selection was not intended to rely only on experience and first impressions.
For the narrower selection, realistic case studies were developed together with the client. They were tailored to the actual challenges of the role and designed to reveal both specialist depth and situational thinking.
Candidates first worked on a task they could prepare in advance. In addition, on the day of the interview they received a second assignment, which had to be solved within one hour and then presented. This combination made it possible to assess not only pension expertise and advisory logic, but also analytical ability, structure, prioritisation and communication under time pressure.
This step was especially valuable for a newly created role. The case studies helped make different profile types comparable and answer the key question: who would not only fit professionally, but also become effective in direct market development and day-to-day collaboration with the team?
The case studies made visible:
- specialist depth in occupational pensions and pension fund solutions
- advisory capability towards SME and foundation board stakeholders
- ability to analyse in a structured way under time pressure
- prioritisation in realistic client situations
- communication, argumentation and presence
- fit with the team, client interaction and entrepreneurial role
Result: A Strong New Team Member for the Pension Business
The position was successfully appointed, even though the target profile was refined and adjusted during the mandate.
The newly created key role was successfully appointed within 6 months. The selected person brings many years of experience, sector knowledge and the entrepreneurial mindset the client was looking for. This did not simply fill a vacant function; it created a role that can further develop the pension business and strengthen the existing team with specialist expertise.
For the client, the process provided confidence: through clear consulting, critical assessment, proactive communication and the ability to avoid committing too early based on first impressions. The combination of market realism and structured process management helped appoint a demanding profile successfully.
Concrete client benefits:
- successful appointment of a newly created key role in the pension business
- refinement of an ambitious target profile based on realistic market availability
- access to experienced experts and emerging talents
- better comparability through structured candidate profiles
- higher decision confidence through moderated interviews and case studies
- specialist strengthening of a young, ambitious team
- appointment of a personality with pension expertise, network and entrepreneurial spirit
- strengthening of direct market development among SME pension fund clients
Key KPIs:
- 6 weeks from mandate start to shortlist presentation
- 4 candidates in the final interview round
- 6 months mandate duration
What This Mandate Shows
For newly created roles, profile refinement often matters more than the search itself.
- When a position is newly created, the target profile must be refined and tested against market reality during the process.
- In specialised pension markets, the perfect combination of sales, expertise and network is rare.
- Market realism helps translate ambitious requirements into appointable target profiles.
- Structured candidate profiles make decisions easier when time and resources are limited.
- Case studies provide additional confidence by making specialist depth and situational thinking visible.
- The right appointment strengthens not only a function, but also the team, market development and growth.
