Case Study for Portfolio Companies
Written by Maria Naumceska and Jasmina Kalin

Our client was a global leader in natural Soda Ash production, sought to maintain and extend its leadership in production volumes, quality, supply chain reliability, innovation, safety, and environmental standards. The company had invested nearly $2 billion in its production assets, resulting in the production of over 5 million tonnes of Soda Ash and Sodium Bicarbonate annually. Since commencing production operations, the company has grown to become a pivotal player in the Soda Ash market with a substantial global reach, selling to large industrial customers in 80 countries.

In its dedication to sustainability, the company has initiated a groundbreaking startup. This independent, not-for-profit venture aims to revolutionize supply chain transparency. The initiative was designed to tackle critical sustainability challenges, such as lack of standardization, transparency, and trust in sustainability metrics. By utilizing a blockchain-based platform, the startup aims to provide consistent, standardized, and accurate sustainability metrics. Ensuring full traceability and integration of sustainability verifiers across the ecosystem.

This initiative is expected to benefit a wide range of stakeholders within the sustainability landscape. The company required a London-based CEO/GM for the startup, capable of navigating the unique challenges of leading a startup originating from a corporate environment, with a blend of technical and commercial expertise.

The candidate needed to excel at selling to large enterprises while also possessing a deep understanding of the complex technical aspects of the product. This individual would be the first direct employee of the startup, responsible for establishing and scaling operations from the ground up.
A targeted search was initiated, focusing on identifying candidates with a strong track record in both commercial strategy and technical fluency. The search leveraged networks within the tech and sustainability sectors, combining detailed industry insights with comprehensive candidate evaluations to identify the best fit.

The approach integrated industry knowledge, detailed candidate assessments, and a thorough understanding of the startup’s strategic goals. Similar roles within direct and indirect competitors were explored to understand the landscape and identify professionals who had excelled in comparable challenges. Industry insiders

were approached for referrals to uncover passive candidates who were not actively on the market but matched the unique criteria for the role. Alongside
targeted headhunting, open search tactics were employed to cast a wide net across the industry, ensuring no potential candidate was overlooked.

Specific Focus Areas:

1. Sustainability-Focused Tech Startups
2. Large Corporations with Environmental & Sustainability Divisions
3. Corporate Venturing and Investment Funds
4. Direct and Indirect Competitors: Companies within the soda ash industry and those implementing advanced supply chain transformation technologies, such as SAP, IBM, and Google Cloud.

A critical part of the search strategy was to identify candidates with the required professional background, as well as a proven track record and genuine passion for ESG and sustainability.

Understanding the importance of seamless integration within the company’s culture, candidates who demonstrated values and work styles aligned with the existing team dynamics were prioritized.

The search concluded with the successful placement of a candidate with over 20 years of experience, in driving strategic growth and revenue across various industries.

The chosen candidate possessed a strong blend of commercial and technical expertise, with a background in leading sales for SaaS and sustainable technology startups. Their hands-on approach to business development and deep understanding of complex technical products made them the ideal leader to spearhead the startup's mission and revolutionize sustainability in supply chains.