A Visionary Plan for Uncharted Waters

Visionary brands looking to set sail in new waters want to hire security leaders who excel at planning for what is on the horizon.

We recently completed just such a project for our client, a large, multinational company. They are a retail leader evolving into new spaces and expanded ecommerce. The executive management have broad industry backgrounds and they were seeking someone who could envision a global security program to take this well-established brand into uncharted territory.

The SMR recruiter for this search had a wealth of experience as a security leader in the retail industry. He had significant bench strength in our client’s space and was an agile partner for them as they structured the role profile.

In keeping with the diverse backgrounds of the leadership team, they wanted someone who had the necessary executive presence and underlying skill sets. Aside from the concerns of bricks and mortar loss prevention in uncontained environments, they required someone to address the risk associated with evolving ecommerce and global supply chain challenges.

While firmly in the retail industry, they appreciated that someone who had experience outside of that sector could bring in new critical thinking and fresh ideas. They additionally prioritized the hiring of a diversity candidate who would most accurately reflect the demographics in the communities in which they worked. They were open to relocation from anywhere in the world resulting in a substantial global pool of candidates.

SMR identified a diverse slate of over fifteen internationally recognized security leaders. After preliminary interviews, a short list was confirmed. A combination of one-on-one and semi-panel virtual interviews began, involving our client’s top executives including the CEO and President.

Ultimately, they selected a woman who has a strong security background and who has worked across multiple industry sectors. She brings unique vision to the challenges facing our client’s organization. The feedback is great: both our client – and their new CSO – are well underway charting plans for future success.

Contact us to hear more of our success stories and learn how we can help you find a visionary to lead your security program. Sign up to receive job announcements for our different regions and join our security talent community to be considered for our current recruitments.