Recent Case Studies

Simultaneous search for two VPs for global media company

Client

A global, multi-billion dollar media company

Objective

Bell Oaks was asked to fill two Vice President of Human Resources positions. The searches were critical in regard to urgency and the impact the roles had on the client’s business. Each of the roles supported the General Managers of somewhat autonomous systems within the company, each with revenues exceeding $500 million. One position was in Southern California and the other was in Virginia. 

The client had rarely sought outside services for finding senior human resources roles and came to Bell Oaks because of our reputation in the market for similar searches, as well as the client’s confidence in our ability to deliver the right candidates quickly. 

Process

Bell Oaks conducted a thorough search for candidates in the geographical areas of each system which included key competitors and parallel industries. Our focus was on candidates that were not necessarily actively seeking new jobs and who were making significant contributions to their companies. We contacted and interviewed more than 50 candidates for each search in an effort to thoroughly screen the candidates for skill level and culture and leadership fit. 

Results

The search resulted in Bell Oaks finding candidates from the client’s direct competitors who were performing similar responsibilities and ready for a new challenge. Feedback from the client showed that both candidates added tremendous value to each of their new roles in a very short amount of time. The client was particularly pleased with our search method, how our team kept them informed throughout the process, the speed in which we executed, and the quality of both of the selected candidates. Through follow-up with the candidates, we learned that both are extremely pleased with their new positions. This project was completed in 2006.