A black and white cat and a brown and white dog sit next to a bowl filled with dry pet food, with a glass reflection visible in the image.

Driving Global Maintenance Excellence for a High Growth Pet Nutrition Leader

Our client operates in a highly competitive market for pet food palatants and flavor enhancers. The company faces competition from both established and emerging players who are innovating in natural ingredients and premium offerings.

Despite global operations, the organization faced challenges typical of a smaller, non-retail and non-consumer facing business without a widely recognized brand name when attracting top talent. Pacific International Executive Search was retained to level the playing field and identify a Global Head of Maintenance & Reliability.

Case Study Details

The Challenge

Pacific was retained by a high growth organization in the pet food space, driven by innovation and product quality. Backed by a long standing, innovation driven private organization, they have been investing heavily in resources and upgrading talent as the business expands.

To support this growth, they sought to expand their Maintenance and Engineering function by creating a Global Head of Maintenance & Reliability role to drive the maturity of maintenance and reliability programs across all global sites.

The Solution

With an established professional relationship with the Global Head of Engineering, Pacific was engaged to secure this critical hire.

Leveraging our strong network in Consumer Goods and the pet food sector, and leveraging the team’s research-led approach, we presented a slate of strong candidates from key competitors. We also delivered a detailed market map of their primary competitors and local talent landscape, resulting in multiple high quality candidates for consideration.

Following one declined offer, Pacific quickly introduced a local candidate who met every requirement, including experience within a best practice environment, the ability to transition maintenance programs from reactive to proactive, and a transformation mindset.

The Results

In a saturated market, with location constraints and widespread burnout among maintenance professionals in recent years, success required persistence and a deep understanding of the local market.

The successful candidate has now been in the role for over one year and is focused on building a global action plan, partnering with each site to implement meaningful change. The impact of this placement has led to two additional search engagements with the organization. After 10 months in the role, he was promoted to a Global Engineering Director position.

The client commented: “Working with Pacific International Executive Search has been an exceptional experience from start to finish. Their team, led by Paul and Haley, demonstrated relentless professionalism and a deep understanding of our needs. They consistently provided high-caliber candidates, even for challenging technical roles in rural locations, and maintained a positive and proactive approach throughout the process.

Their teams’ commitment to finding the right culture fit and their respectful and persistent approach significantly impacted our talent acquisition. They helped us navigate challenges, adapt our focus, and ultimately secure top talent, including diverse candidates who bring valuable perspectives to our team.

Overall, Pacific has been a true strategic partner in our talent acquisition efforts, and I look forward to continuing this successful collaboration.”