Client - Azelis
Roles - Regional Commercial Business Leaders
Overview
Azelis, is a world leading distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients, operating in 57 countries, with a turnover of more than 2billion euros and c2500 people.
The business combines an entrepreneurial spirit alongside its corporate structure pursuing ambitious growth plans. It has a global matrix management structure and operates through focused business units, promoting close links via dedicated teams with its customers and principals in local regions adhering to all regulatory best practices and ‘Responsible Care’. It has established UK & Ireland businesses, with its head office in Runcorn with c130 staff.
The Role
Our relationship with Azelis developed from an introductory meeting with their UK/Ireland HR Manager, who valued our style of dedicated search approach and shared values. A few months later we were requested to undertake a search campaign in Canada for an MD of an acquired subsidiary, an API Pharmaceutical company and shortly afterwards a Regional Business Manager for the Nordics region.
Approach & Outcome
The HR Manager preferred to trust us to control these campaigns and keep her closely informed, rather than ‘go out to an unknown local agency’ in each country. We developed a deep understanding of the relevant markets, in API Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Chemicals and for a further campaign in the FMCG Food markets in the respective regions, enabling us to target specific companies and make trade association network connections to lead us to excellent people to shortlist through our headhunt approaches.
The MD was successfully placed and subsequently promoted into a corporate business development role. A Regional Business Manager was recruited for the Nordic region covering Industrial Chemicals, an experienced, highly networked individual in this sector, who remains in the Nordic business, and also, a highly proficient and respected Technical Product Manager.
Following these appointments we undertook several key, successful campaigns working with the UK/Ireland team.
This included a brief to find their Regional Finance Manager (an important legal entity FD role) based at the company’s UK/Ireland Head Office. We presented a strong short-list to the company which led to a people focused, highly experienced ACA candidate being appointed to this role.
This followed with the recruitment of a Business Controller who also remains in this business today in addition to several UK-wide field sales posts.
We successfully recruited for Azelis as a result of the trust that developed between our two companies. This is an excellent client partnership which has added value during the company’s ambitious growth and change.