Functional expertise

Commercial leadership that converts the thesis

Commercial, M&A and growth leaders who turn market ambition into revenue, partnerships and completed deals.

12
senior placements in this function
100+
pivotal roles across six functions
1.3M+
documented client savings

Documented savings compare our delivery economics with traditional agency or search-fee models on comparable assignments.

The moment

When this function decides the outcome

Growth plans only become real when commercial leadership can translate market choices into pipeline discipline, pricing power, account expansion and deal execution.

Whether the agenda is growth, market entry or M&A execution, these roles set the pace. They are also among the hardest to benchmark, because pipeline and reputation can mask real performance.

Commercial leadership demand now concentrates around pricing power and disciplined growth, not volume at any cost. Owners look for CCOs and M&A leaders who can defend margin through churn-resistant relationships and integrate acquisitions without losing customers. We see this most sharply in PE portfolios, where the commercial agenda often decides whether the equity case lands.

Scope

Roles we secure in this function

Commercial, M&A and growth leaders, from permanent CCO and commercial appointments to interim capacity during scaling, market entry or deal execution.

01Chief Commercial Officer
02Commercial Director
03Head of Sales
04M&A Director
05Head of Corporate Development
06International Key Account Manager
07Business Development Director
08Head of Strategy
09Interim Commercial Lead

Typical mandates include CCO and commercial director search, head of sales recruitment, M&A leadership, business development leadership and interim commercial support.

Engagements

Selected case examples

Real mandates, anonymized by sector and ownership. Each example shows the business context, search logic and decision we supported.

Building a corporate M&A capability for a buy-and-build plan

A global testing, inspection and certification group set out to roughly double in size through a program of acquisitions. It needed a capability, not a single seat, so we ran two graded searches, an M&A Manager and an M&A Associate, as one team build, benchmarked on a single bar.

“Two hires, one capability: a corporate M&A team built to run a buy-and-build agenda.”

Multi-country European searches, hiring across Europe without forcing relocation

A PE-owned pan-European distribution group had senior commercial and corporate roles that were not tied to one country. We mapped the relevant companies across Europe, approached targets directly, and recruited people who stayed in their home market on local terms rather than relocating.

“The best candidate in Europe, hired where they already live, on local terms.”
How we deliver

One platform, the right route in

Commercial mandates run as Executive Search, with Interim Solutions for turnaround or transition cover. Talent Advisory adds market mapping and compensation context for hard-to-benchmark roles.

01

Executive Search

Structured search for executive leaders, functional leaders and senior professionals in pivotal roles.

02

Interim Solutions

Interim leadership and specialist capacity for urgent gaps, change programs and continuity.

03

Strategic Team Build

A coordinated approach for multiple critical hires with shared calibration and stronger economics.

04

Talent Advisory

Benchmarking, role design, succession options and market intelligence that inform the decision.