10 Weeks to Excellence: How We Found the Perfect M&A Senior Vice President Against the Clock

Brief 

A newly formed team in one of our key clients contacted us with an urgent requirement: to appoint a high-performing M&A Director in a specialised sector team.

Time was critical, but so was quality. The successful candidate would need to demonstrate sector knowledge, commercial judgement, and a seamless cultural fit with the existing team.

The brief was clear: a plug and play Vice President or Director candidate, being a fluent French speaker, with demonstrable M&A execution experience in the Digital Infrastructure, Communications or Telecoms sector.

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Approach 

Our approach followed a structured methodology, with a clear time frame to deliver the search as quickly as possible.

Phase 1: Discovery. We worked closely with the relevant stakeholders at the client to define and align on the key outcomes for this hire. This aligned the role’s hiring requirements and allowed us to create a benchmarking criteria used to assess candidates.
We also agreed on the search strategy, identifying the suitable target institutions.

Phase 2: Mapping and Assessment. We ran a comprehensive mapping process while simultaneously referencing and sourcing contacts within our network. This resulted in a comprehensive universe of candidates mapped in London and Paris.

Following our assessment, we reduced the shortlist to nine candidates. Following the shortlist conversation with Evercore, this was reduced to six candidates interviewed.

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Results 

Given the urgency, we ran an expedited interview process, with all first rounds taking place over a week, which resulted in an individual being identified as an outstanding fit for the position. This individual was then offered a position and accepted, before Croft & Co. then had to manage a complex exit process from the candidate’s previous employer to allow for a quicker start. The successful candidate accepted within ten weeks of the search being initiated.

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