Case Studies
Finding the Perfect CFO
The Challenge Fres-co Systems, a leading packaging solutions company based in Telford, was on the hunt for a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The stakes were high: they needed someone who could not only elevate their finance function but also manage the nitty-gritty...
When the Stakes are High
The Brief Our newest client in the philanthropy space embarked on a continent-wide programme of work aimed at achieving financial inclusion and stability in Africa. Jack Hammer was selected as the search partner of choice to appoint technical, research and commercial...
Too Many Cooks
The Brief When we take on the task of finding a great leader for a client, we know there will be more than one party involved. In this instance, our client was three-headed: the private equity investor, the CEO of their portfolio company and a minority shareholder....
‘No Hire – He’s Overqualified’!
There are times in business when ‘no’ ultimately means ‘yes’. More times than one might imagine, in fact. Particularly when it comes to hiring people who don’t tick all the boxes on the job spec. The job spec itself requires a case study all on its own. But, to...
Searching for Great Clients is Sometimes Muddy Business
The Brief We are occasionally approached by potential clients who leave us wondering whether we actually want to partner with them or not. And sometimes, we turn them down. Here is an example of one where we made the right call, despite some real concerns: The...
Sourcing Executives in Africa – It Gets Tough
The Brief We were mandated by our global financial services client to source an MD for their insurance subsidiary in Mozambique. Sounds straight-forward? Turns out – it was not. Because our client wanted it all (of course): an executive - preferably Mozambican...
Searching for Leaders – Sometimes You Get More Than You Expect!
The Brief We support a major FMCG and food processing business with searching for leaders and BEE talent acquisition. Operating in a highly regulated field, the listed organisation needed to hire at Divisional MD level , with consideration for the longer-term...
Innovation Meets Desperation in the Search for IT skills
The Brief The roll out of new banking products and services that our retail banking client had ambitiously planned, was dependent on key tech skills in specific disciplines at Architect, Analyst Developer and Developer levels. What they faced was a massive skills...
The Tale of Taming a Treasurer (or Two)
The Brief Our client, headquartered in Singapore, is Asia’s leading agribusiness group. Ranked amongst the largest listed companies on the Singapore Exchange, they employ 90,000 people globally and have a substantial presence in Africa. The range of African currencies...
It’s Never a Walk in the Park
The Brief Who wouldn’t want to work for one of the top global reinsurers operating in more than 25 countries globally? The South African operation is given solid support by the parent company and is perceived to be one of the strongest technical reinsurers in the MEA...
Big Fish, Small Pond
The Brief Take an industry leader in the fish and seafood market exporting 70% of their goods to Europe from Southern Africa. Add a pending business restructure to position their growth strategy. What they needed: a big fish, to be based in a small pond (Namibia)....
Will We Find a Black CIO?
The Brief Our client, a listed Top 40 retailer, was starting to think about a succession plan for their executive team. In particular, someone to take over as Chief Information Officer because the incumbent was considering early retirement. When we’re called in to...
Internal vs External Appointment?
The Brief The big dilemma for our client: should they appoint someone internally or externally to a key role? They wanted sight of the competitor landscape to explore: To whom they should compare their internal people? How well would their internal candidates stack up...