2024 Year in Review

David Cech

Senior Vice President & Principal

Below are select search highlights from 2024.
 
 

Chief Research & Development Officer for a Professional Skincare Company

The Chief Research & Development Officer (CRDO), reporting directly to the CEO, will drive the development, research, and clinical validation of innovative skincare products, ensuring the highest standards of efficacy, safety, and quality. This role is central to shaping the product portfolio, supporting global growth strategies, and maintaining a competitive market edge. As a member of the Leadership Team, the CRDO must be a dynamic, strategic leader with strong technical expertise, commercial insight, and business acumen.
 
The ideal candidate will bring over 20 years of R&D experience, preferably in skincare or related categories, with a proven track record in developing complex formulations, leading scientific teams, and managing claim substantiation and clinical testing. This leader will excel in mentoring and developing talent to enhance team performance.

Chief Financial Officer for a Private Equity-Owned CPG Company

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will provide overall financial leadership, reporting to the CEO and Board of Directors while overseeing all finance, HR, and IT functions. This role partners with the executive team to set strategic and financial objectives, drive value creation plans, and deliver sustainable, profitable growth. The CFO will manage financial planning, operations, and analytics while preparing the company for a potential transaction and engaging heavily with the Board on reporting and strategic initiatives.
 
The ideal candidate is a senior finance executive with prior CFO experience in a private equity-backed consumer goods company that manufactures and sells its products through retail and online channels. They bring expertise in strategic planning, operational excellence, and leading successful transactions. This individual is a hands-on leader with integrity, strong communication skills, and the ability to influence and align stakeholders to drive growth and shareholder value.
 
 

Chief Marketing officer for a Private Equity-Backed Consumer Products Company

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), a key member of the Executive Management team, leads the development and execution of the company’s marketing strategy to drive growth, innovation, and customer engagement. Reporting to the CEO, the CMO oversees brand strategy, consumer insights, product innovation, advertising, and digital marketing, ensuring alignment with the company’s overall vision. This role focuses on leveraging data-driven insights to identify market opportunities, optimize omnichannel strategies, and enhance marketing operations. Additionally, the CMO builds a high-performing, consumer-centric marketing organization while collaborating across functions to achieve business objectives and deliver sustained brand and revenue growth.
 
 

Chief Commercial Officer for a Private Equity-Backed Pet Food Manufacturer

The Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) leads the development and execution of strategic plans to drive growth in net sales, margins, and EBITDA. Overseeing sales, marketing, business development, and R&D, the CCO establishes clear, measurable processes to deliver results and expand the company’s presence across private label, co-manufacturing, branded, and D2C channels. This customer-facing role involves nurturing existing partnerships while building new relationships across retail, eCommerce, and club channels. The CCO collaborates with the leadership team to innovate product offerings, analyze market trends, and create go-to-market strategies that align with consumer demands. Additionally, this role fosters a mission-driven, customer-focused culture, ensuring organizational agility and scaling the business for sustainable growth.

Senior Vice President, Research & Development for a Leading Global Food and Beverage Company

The Senior Vice President, Research & Development (R&D) will lead the R&D strategy and technical agenda, focusing on innovation, renovation, value engineering, product performance, and improvement across key product categories. This role ensures regulatory compliance, food safety, and the financial and technical feasibility of new and existing products while aligning with global best practices. They will oversee R&D projects, including product and packaging development, manage and develop the R&D team, and drive collaboration with manufacturing, marketing, procurement, and commercial teams to define and uphold company standards
 
The ideal candidate is experienced in the consumer goods industry, skilled in project and team management, knowledgeable in regulatory standards, and adept at driving innovation through strategic and operational excellence.

Senior Vice President, Supply Chain & Operations Americas for a Global Consumer Products Manufacturing Company

The Senior Vice President, Supply Chain & Operations Americas will lead the integration of multiple supply chains, driving transformation and operational excellence across the region. Over the next three years, this role will focus on unifying operations into a seamless “one order, one invoice, one delivery” system, unlocking synergies, optimizing the U.S.-based supply network to support growth, and advancing the journey to excellence.
 
The ideal candidate will bring 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in supply chain and operations, including factory and multi-site manufacturing leadership, along with expertise in planning and logistics. Experience in both large, best-in-class FMCG/CPG companies and smaller, hands-on environments is highly valued. This executive must excel at solving complex supply chain challenges, thrive in a matrix structure, and possess a track record of collaborating with cross-functional leadership teams and P&L executives.
 
 

Senior Vice President, Manufacturing for a $4.5B Consumer Manufacturing Company

The Senior Vice President, Manufacturing will oversee several manufacturing sites, managing safety, quality, environmental standards, inventory, and cost. This leader will drive value creation by improving operational efficiency, building high-performing teams, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. They will collaborate across functions such as HR, Procurement, and Finance, and lead the execution of the manufacturing network strategy, implementing lean manufacturing and Six Sigma practices to meet safety, quality, and innovation goals.

The ideal candidate will have 15+ years of experience in manufacturing, ideally within food, beverage, or CPG industries. They should have a proven track record in driving operational excellence, implementing continuous improvement, and scaling operations. Expertise in lean manufacturing, safety, and regulatory compliance is essential. Success in this role requires strong leadership, talent development, and the ability to align cross-functional teams to achieve long-term strategic goals.
 
 

Vice President, Global Supply Chain Planning for a Global Beverage Company

The Vice President, Global Supply Chain Planning will lead the development of a world-class, end-to-end planning function, combining demand and product supply planning teams with customer service. Reporting to the Chief Supply Chain Officer, this role will be pivotal in transforming the supply chain into a more efficient and agile organization, focusing on improving cost, inventory, working capital, and service levels. They will work closely with key stakeholders to drive these changes and ensure alignment across the organization.
 
The ideal candidate will have 15+ years of supply chain experience, with a strong background in end-to-end planning. Experience in creating and establishing a planning function is preferred, along with global experience and familiarity with integrated business planning (IBP). This executive must have proven leadership skills, in-depth knowledge of supply chain planning, and experience in driving process and system improvements in a dynamic environment.
 
 

Vice President, NA Engineering for a Leading Forzen Food Manufacturer

The Vice President of NA Engineering will oversee all engineering and technical functions, leading major capital projects and working closely with Operations to ensure alignment, best practices, and efficient allocation of plant engineering and maintenance resources. This role is also responsible for driving people and food safety initiatives, process improvements, and supporting new product development. As a collaborative member of the Supply Chain Leadership Team, they will contribute to business strategies and overall success.
 
The ideal candidate will be a hands-on, goal-oriented leader with excellent interpersonal skills, able to foster a cohesive engineering team and empower individuals to excel. They should have a proven track record in developing solutions to complex issues while collaborating effectively across various functional areas. The candidate’s technical expertise should include food safety, quality assurance, manufacturing technology, and environmental regulations, alongside in-depth knowledge of process engineering, packaging, and systems engineering within a food production environment. Experience with food processing facilities, utilities, and engineering contracts is also essential.