A year prior to the WT Foods acquisition, a critical period of an imminent Trade sale, The Simmance Partnership was invited to advise and support the Management team on their ongoing recruitment needs. The aim of calling in our expert opinion was to work out how best to attract new commercial talent to a business with a short term goal, whilst ensuring the stability of the sales function, so that the acquisition would go smoothly and the human assets would remain in place for the new company Grace Foods to take ownership.
Immediately after the acquisition Grace Foods, a leading Caribbean food manufacturer and distributor, entered the UK and needed to quickly understand the market and supplement the previous commercial function with more high calibre people. The Simmance Partnership was respected for its previous good work and close understanding of the business and continued working with the newly appointed Board of Directors to recruit middle and senior managers as well as gain an intrinsic understanding of a new culture and values which was to be a major feature to attract candidates who would succeed and thrive in a changing environment.
During this critical period of transition and learning for the Grace Foods Board we were instrumental in recruiting a Commercial Director to lead the team and sales agenda. Following a subsequent review of the organisation structure we went on to successfully recruit roles at Account Manager and Controller levels within the Foodservice division.
"Finding the ideal recruiter who could take the time to understand the Grace philosophy and culture was crucial but the selection was made easy when I first met The Simmance Partnership. They took the time to understand the values and culture of our organization with particular attention to the senior roles; they believed that the potential candidates should fit into the role as well as to the culture of the organization. Candidates offered to us for interviews were well briefed and possessed the requisite FMCG experience and were of the highest quality. I was very impressed with the way The Simmance Partnership managed the entire process from shortlist all the way to the final employment. Communication and advice throughout the process was excellent."
Lucky Lankage
Chief Operating Officer