Illustration photo
Recrutement COMEX · Mandat confidentiel
10 directeurs.Hired
sous NDA.
Dont trois pour un même groupe. Un programme industriel de 200 M€, trois directions à pourvoir en parallèle : c’est le mandat présenté ici.
Dossier de recrutement
CONFIDENTIELClient non divulgué · NDA
- 01
Operations directorExecutive committee
6wk - 02
Plant director, site ACOMEX N-1
6wk - 03
Plant director, site BCOMEX N-1
4wk
Trois postes pourvus. Aucune annonce.
Assignment file · client undisclosedOne operations director, two plant directors
3
Executives hired
one COMEX member, two N-1s
200M€
Investment programme
across several sites at once
5,3wk
Average time (rounded)
6, 6 and 4 weeks
0
Public announcement
no market leak
01 · The context
Why a confidential assignment?
Three executives to replace,without a word to the market
An investment programme of more than €200m under way across several sites, a strict regulatory timetable, and three leadership roles to change at the same time. An announcement would have alerted the market and the teams instantly.
The client Name undisclosed
- An international industrial group in the energy transition.
- Several sites, and stakes in complementary industrial activities.
- An expansion phase: major investments across several sites at the same time.
- More than €200m committed, on a timetable set by strict regulatory requirements.
- Three leadership roles to fill at the same time, in complete confidentiality.
Ruled out from the start
No public announcement
It would have alerted the market and the teams instantly.
No internal network
The news would have travelled up to the departing executives.
No second firm
The risk: two approaches to the same executive, with no control.
Chosen
Direct search among competitors
Serving executives, approached without their employer's knowledge.
A reinforced NDA from day one
With a financial penalty clause, signed before anything starts.
Four challenges, all at once
- 01
Confidentiality
Replacing three executives with no external communication: no announcement, no internal network, no other firm.
- 02
Scarce profiles
Directors who have already carried more than €100m of investment in industrial transition. Almost none are visible on the market: the search happens among competitors.
- 03
The investment timetable
The executives had to be in post before the installations started up. Every week of delay had a quantified cost.
- 04
An international group
A holding company, several stakeholders, board validation. Long notice periods and non-compete clauses to negotiate for each profile.
02 · The three leadership roles
Trois missions. Un seul mandat.
Les postes sont pourvus.Les identités restent protégées.
Explore les trois recrutements. Le même protocole de discrétion, trois enjeux de direction différents.
Nom, employeur et localisation protégés.
Operations director
De l’ouverture du mandat
au recrutement.
Target profile
Engineer, more than 20 years of multi-site industrial management, an operating P&L of more than €100m, heavy investments already led.
L’approche
In post at a direct competitor, he was not looking. Full mapping of the competitor ecosystem before the first, discreet contact.
Périmètre de direction
- More than 300 people in indirect management, across all sites
- Production, maintenance, QHSE and new-build works, all run at the same time
- Permanent member of the COMEX, in direct contact with the CEO and the international board
- More than €200m of investment, the group's expansion projects
- The group's industrial roadmap for the next three to five years
Identité non divulguée
Plant director, site A
De l’ouverture du mandat
au recrutement.
Target profile
Experienced site director, more than 15 years in a regulated industrial environment, who has already run heavy investments and operations side by side.
L’approche
Three profiles approached in parallel among competitors, with a field assessment for two of them. Interviews outside working hours, with no contact at all with the current employer. From shortlist to decision: three weeks.
Périmètre de direction
- A site in full development: new-build works and operations run side by side
- Several hundred people in direct management
- Performance and safety in a regulated, audited environment
- Institutional, local and regional relations
- Day to day with the operations director, who sits on the COMEX bodies
Identité non divulguée
Plant director, site B
De l’ouverture du mandat
au recrutement.
Target profile
Seasoned operations director who has already transformed capital-intensive sites, operating P&L under control.
L’approche
Twelve profiles mapped across the ecosystem, four discreet approaches, two confidential interviews, a double independent assessment. The long notice period was anticipated from the opening of the assignment.
Périmètre de direction
- Continuous operations, where no production stoppage is tolerated
- A major investment phase, running alongside operations
- The annual budget, the site's profitability, monthly reporting to the COMEX
- A culture of performance and safety, dialogue with employee representative bodies
- Strategic and budget trade-offs with the COMEX
Identité non divulguée
The client's name, its precise sector and the geography of the sites are not disclosed (NDA). The elements presented have been validated by the client.
03 · The method
How, and how fast?
Seven steps,no trace on the market
From the NDA signed before the first call to the onboarding of the three directors, in the order the assignment was run.
- 01
Reinforced NDA
A contractual commitment, with a financial penalty clause, before anything starts.
- 02
Competitor mapping
More than 30 qualified profiles identified, in post at direct competitors.
- 03
A search that leaves no trace
No announcement, no CV database. One-to-one approaches, out of the employers' sight.
- 04
COMEX-level assessment
Leadership, heavy investments, management of more than 100 people, ability to sit on the COMEX.
- 05
References taken discreetly
The real track record verified through a confidential network, without alerting anyone.
- 06
Notice periods
Garden leave and non-compete terms negotiated to hold the timetable.
- 07
90-day integration
The start, the handover and internal communication, all supported.
The real timeline≈ 5,3 weeks on average
Operations director
Plant director, site A
Plant director, site B
Timings recorded on this assignment, role by role. The three searches were run in parallel.
04 · What made the difference
Why did it hold?
Four thingsthat made the difference
- 01
The network among direct competitors
The only talent pool that matched the profile was among competitors. We had to approach executives there without their employer finding out.
- 02
The timetable held
About 5.3 weeks on average, despite the confidentiality, the scarcity and the international group. The installations were waiting for their executives.
- 03
No leak
Three hires run at the same time, from approaches to negotiations, without a sound on the market.
- 04
One contact, the CEO directly
A single contact at Volta, direct access to the CEO, feedback within 48 hours on every profile.
05 · The result
What did the client get?
Three directors in post,before the installations started up
3/3
Roles filled
0
Information leak
5,3wk
Average time (rounded)
90days
Of support
Operational continuity
Sites run without interruption throughout the transformation.
Investment timetable met
Executives in post before the critical installations started up.
Controlled communication
The announcement made by the group, at its own time: teams protected, no leak.
Integration validated
All three directors still in post beyond 90 days.
06 · Ton mandat
And for my role?
A leadership assignment,under the same confidentiality rules
Les règles de discrétion de ce cas valent pour chaque mandat de direction : fiche anonyme, approche une à une, NDA sur demande. Le fondateur, ingénieur des Mines de Saint-Étienne et d'AgroParisTech, passé par l’industrie chez EDF et Safran, mène chaque mandat.
Ton nom reste couvert
Les dirigeants approchés lisent une fiche anonyme. Le nom de ton entreprise n'apparaît qu'après l'entretien de qualification.
NDA on request
A non-disclosure agreement signed before scoping when the role or the project calls for it.
A discreet approach
Des dirigeants en poste, approchés un à un, jamais par une annonce qui désigne ton site.
Nothing on social media
No executive approached and no confidential mandate is ever named on social media or on this site.
Mandate terms · Volta ExecutiveThe same terms for every leadership role
25%
Of the annual gross package
for one role, 23% per role from two similar roles onwards, assigned together
1/3
Deposit at launch
deducted from the final invoice, balance on signature of the job offer
Exclusive
Assignment awarded
a single firm, no double approach
Replacement guarantee of 3 months, extendable to 6Onboarding follow-up over 90 daysNDA on request, before scoping
07 · Our leadership assignments
Which other executives?
Leadership assignments,published and confidential
Site and plant directors, functional directors, branch directors: the client is never named.
Site and plant directors
Functional leadership roles
- Head of OperationsPower electronics industrial groupUnder way
- Purchasing directorPower electronics industrial groupUnder way
- Sales director, FrancePower electronics industrial groupCompleted
Branch and profit-centre directors
Confidential assignments, detailed under NDA
- General management, operations and site director roles in industry, for international groups and transformation and innovation programmes.
- 10 directeurs recrutés sous NDA au total, dont les trois dirigeants du même groupe présentés dans ce dossier.
08 · Questions
4 questions
What we are askedon this assignment
How do you hire a COMEX member without the market knowing?
By direct search, with no announcement, no CV database and no second firm. On this assignment, a reinforced NDA with a penalty clause was signed before anything started, then more than 30 qualified profiles were identified among direct competitors. Approaches were made one to one, out of the employers' sight.
How long did this hire of three executives take?
6 weeks for the operations director, 6 weeks for site A and 4 weeks for site B: about 5.3 weeks on average. The three searches ran in parallel. The executives were in post before the installations started up.
Can we know the client's name?
No. The client's name, its precise sector and the geography of the sites remain covered by the NDA. References are given under a confidentiality agreement, during a first conversation.
Did the executives hired stay in post?
Yes. All three directors were still in post beyond the 90 days of onboarding support.
First confidential conversation
A sensitive leadership role to fill?30 minutes, sous NDA si tu le souhaites
Operations director, plant director, COMEX member: when the assignment is confidential and the profile critical, direct search is run with no announcement and no market noise.
First conversation free · strictly confidential · NDA on request