Reducing Executive Search Spend During Transformational Change

Overview

The organisation was changing its strategic direction over the next few years with a focus on becoming a global Tech business. With this change in strategy comes a huge shift in their talent requirements to ensure this transformation is successful.

As part of this, the internal search function had to adapt how they approach external talent and how they operate within the business to become a Centre of Excellence. Key objectives were:

• Build credibility internally, across all business functions
• Become more independent with a conscious move away from traditional expensive Executive Search agencies
• Demonstrate a cost-effective way of engaging with new talent whilst delivering high-quality results
• Take greater ownership of the candidate experience
• Increase female diversity in the leadership team

Armstrong Craven was selected as their primary Global Executive Research Partner to help them achieve these goals. Over the past 18 months, Armstrong Craven has supported senior-level hires across a wide range of specialist disciplines from Tech, Digital, and Product to Corporate Functions helping to address their immediate and future hiring needs.

Our Approach

The in-house hybrid model was new for the client and needed a change in mindset internally to ensure success. We did this by working closely with the internal Executive Search team, aligning ourselves with their goals, and being visibly engaged with the hiring managers to deliver on each project.

Our solution provides confidential research in the form of Talent Mapping and Talent Pipelining to identify and engage exceptional female talent to join their businesses.

The successful partnership stems from our ability to quickly align with their needs and provide a team of expert search consultants to deliver on each project. Following our research-based methodology, we investigate the market using both traditional and semantic search to generate a comprehensive talent map for each project. The Armstrong Craven consultants proactively engage in career conversations with the relevant, diverse candidate pools to generate interest in our client, and qualify people for the role before submitting them to the internal hiring team.

Whilst many of our projects are for immediate hiring needs we also support our client to identify candidates for future roles. Where we do this, we work closely with the internal hiring team to manage the talent and keep them engaged and at the point of need we work closely with our client to agree which candidates move forward and we make the relevant hand over. At that point, the candidate enters the hiring process as our consultants continue to source new talent.

The Outcome

• Mapped over 4,000 relevant individuals.
• Engaged with more than 2,000 diverse, qualified, and interested candidates.
• 16 senior-level, diverse hires.
• Saved £1.3 million in search fees and counting
• Built a stronger, more diverse talent pipeline of senior female leaders for future hiring needs.
• Provided the client with full ownership of all the data we created for them, allowing them to make additional hires at no additional cost.

We have enabled our client, almost completely, to remove the need to use traditional Executive Search agencies.

"You have helped us to move away from Executive Search agencies and when looking at the hires we have made as a result and the cost avoidance too, you’ve proven to be a hugely valuable partner."

- Head of Executive Search

By partnering with Armstrong Craven this Executive Search team has successfully elevated its internal reputation, reduced costs dramatically and are now seen as a driver of change within the business.

Our partnership continues to grow, and we have solidified ourselves as a key global strategic partner, helping them progress their transformation change initiatives at pace.

"The team are incredibly easy to work with. The level of detail you provide and the candidates you have identified on each project has been fantastic. The cost savings alone have justified the change in our hiring strategy and these projects haven’t been easy ones, but you’ve delivered. We appreciate the support and look forward to building the partnership further."

- Global Director of Talent Acquisition

Contact our team today to learn more about Armstrong Craven’s range of services, including talent sourcing, insights, mapping and pipelining.