When a global FMCG group committed €50m to a new flexible packaging facility in Poland, they approached Chad Harrison International with a brief that most recruiters would have declined: build an entire senior leadership team from scratch, across 9 functions, within 12 weeks of ground-breaking.
The Brief
We were tasked with sourcing 9 senior roles simultaneously: Plant Director, Operations Manager, Technical Director, Quality Director, HSE Manager, Finance Controller, HR Manager, Logistics Manager, and Sustainability Lead. Every role required Polish language capability alongside international flexible packaging credentials — a combination that narrowed the addressable talent pool significantly.
Our Approach
Rather than running sequential searches, our dedicated project team activated the European flexible packaging network simultaneously across all disciplines. A CHI project room was established with a team of 6 consultants, each owning specific functional tracks.
- Days 1–14: Network activation across all 9 tracks simultaneously — 47 candidates long-listed
- Weeks 3–4: Structured competency interviews conducted in Warsaw and via video
- Weeks 5–6: All 9 roles at final interview stage with 2–3 shortlisted candidates per role
- Weeks 8–11: All 9 offers made, negotiated, and accepted
The Outcome
All 9 roles were filled in 11 weeks — one week ahead of the client’s deadline. The facility opened on schedule. At 24 months post-placement, 8 of 9 leaders remain in post — a retention rate benchmarking in the top 5% of all greenfield recruitment projects in our database.
CHI’s ability to run parallel searches at pace without compromising on candidate quality was critical. This is not something a generalist recruiter could have delivered. — VP HR, Client Organisation