Context

A $3bn US retailer in the midst of a multi-year reinvention, shifting from a traditional brand-of-brands model to a portfolio of differentiated exclusive brands. The strategic pivot required senior product leadership capable of acting as an organisational change agent — not a category executive, but a hybrid leader able to operate across product development, brand-building, merchandising, and data-informed decision-making.

The Mandate

Secure a Senior Vice President to lead the transition. The profile required deep product development expertise paired with brand-building credibility, the ability to mentor a product organisation moving to a data-enhanced creation model, and the presence to energise a merchandising team adopting new behaviours. Reporting into the CEO, the role would inform both executive team and board on roadmap evolution against aggressive profitability targets.

Our Approach

We began with a focused alignment session with the CEO and functional leaders to codify the success profile — technical, commercial, and cultural — into a scored assessment framework. We then ran a national search across merchandising, product development, and brand-led retail organisations, evaluating candidates against transformation leadership, cross-functional credibility, and data-driven decision-making.

The Outcome

A diverse, qualified shortlist was delivered within 45 days. The placed executive — whose career spanned merchandising, product development, and marketing analytics at a leading global retailer — combined the hybrid skill set the mandate required.