How we secured a VP Sales for Prinova's US ingredients business

Overview:

Prinova is a global leader in sourcing and distributing ingredients for the food and beverage, dietary supplement, and nutrition industries. Founded in 1976, the company supplies a wide range of products, including flavors, vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and functional food ingredients.

Prinova also offers custom blending, product formulation, and technical support services. They focus on sustainable sourcing and have a strong commitment to quality, safety, and regulatory compliance. With a global presence, Prinova serves customers in the food, beverage, and health sectors, helping them create innovative and functional products.

Following the successful completion of a Senior Commercial role in Europe, Jamie was introduced by the Global VP of HR to the US HR Director as there was a requirement to find a VP of Sales to lead a $multi-hundred-million US ingredients business.

Prinova have a good internal recruitment team, which has been strengthened in recent years, however, for a key role leading a $multi-hundred-million business they had decided to partner with an external search firm.

 

Specific requirements for the search:

• Strong commercial leader, leading US sales teams within the industry.
• Proven track record and evidence of training, developing and improving sales teams.
• Previous experience of holding full responsibility for $multi-hundred-million businesses.
• A background in the B2B ingredient distribution channel, or alternatively, experience working with wide specialised ingredient portfolios.
• Located in or able to move to Chicago.

 

The challenge:

Prinova has a very good reputation, and the opportunity itself without question was extremely attractive, however, the professionals with all the experience required weren’t actively looking to move.

As such, the search needed a delicate but proactive approach, someone who could speak with the relevant professionals directly, understand their career aspirations and use this knowledge to demonstrate the attractive nature of the opportunity.

 

How we helped:

• Online & Face-to-face Brief: Met with various stakeholders online and in-person at @IFT First, Chicago, to understand the dynamics of the role, the experience required and what each stakeholder was looking for.
• Market mapping: Created a long list, mapping the leadership teams of similar and competitor organizations, as well as senior commercial leaders who had previously worked in the distribution model.
• Attract: a very small and highly targeted list of prospects about the opportunity, engaging in detailed discussions about the opportunity.
• Present: Presented a shortlist of just 4 Senior professionals who were qualified, relevant, interested and in line with expectations.
• Interviews: Organized multiple stages of interview process, managing extremely busy schedules all multiple parties involved in the process.
• Negotiations: Handled all aspects of the offer and negotiation phase, aligning expectations of both internal stakeholders and candidates to get the successful outcome.

 

The Result:

We successfully placed Nick Fiorito into the role of VP Sales Ingredients late 2023. When we approached Nick, he was already aware of the opportunity and already had admiration for Prinova but due to the fact he was very busy in his current role, a role he very much was enjoying, he hadn’t considered applying.

Following a conversation where we were able to explain the role, the challenges and the career prospects of the role, he very quickly demonstrated a high level of interest. It was clear from the first discussion that he had all the experience and attributes we were looking for.

From first contact to official offer acceptance took less than 4 weeks.

 

 

Candidate Testimonials:

“Working with Jamie was not just a professional experience; it was a genuine pleasure. He is a personable and approachable individual who fosters strong relationships with his clients. His ability to understand not only the qualifications required for a role but also the cultural fit and long-term potential of a candidate is a testament to his holistic approach to recruitment. Jamie is not just a recruiter; he is a strategic partner who genuinely cares about the success of his clients and the candidates he represents. If you are looking for a recruiter who is dedicated, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with, Jamie is the person you need. Thank you, Jamie, for your invaluable assistance in my career journey. Your contributions have made a lasting impact, and I look forward to seeing you continue to excel in your field." - Nick Fiorito – VP Sales Prinova US

 

If you’re looking to secure a Senior Commercial Leader like Prinova, please vontact us today to find out how we can help you achieve similar results.