Case Study #1

HR Leader for a Premier Consumer Brand

An exclusive search to replace a departing Senior HR Business Partner at a world-famous consumer brand — closed in two months, ahead of target.

Consultant: Yan Sen Lu

The Client

Our client is a world-famous consumer brand with approximately 30,000 employees worldwide. Headquartered in Europe, the company operates offices, retail stores, and manufacturing facilities across the globe. It is widely recognized as an employer of choice for its purpose-driven culture that promotes creativity, sustainability, and employee wellbeing in an inclusive, globally respected workplace.

Over a decade earlier, we had introduced the predecessor for this role. With their upcoming departure, the client engaged us on an exclusive contingent basis to identify and secure their successor.

The Challenge

Although the position was titled Senior HR Business Partner, the actual scope and responsibilities were equivalent to an HR Director in many other organizations. The key challenges included:

Multi-faceted role — The ideal candidate needed to be both strategic and hands-on, with responsibility for general affairs—a combination rarely seen in HR roles.
Small team context — The Japan office comprised fewer than 100 employees, and the HR team was compact. Most HR leaders at this level were already managing significantly larger organizations.
High expectations — Given the global prestige of the brand, internal stakeholders expected nothing short of excellence—particularly in candidates’ business acumen, leadership team collaboration, and ability to influence senior executives.
Competitive market — Over 400 senior-level HR positions were listed on LinkedIn alone at the time, making competition for top talent fierce.
Client head start — The client had already begun direct sourcing and had existing candidates in play.
Demanding process — The recruitment involved 6–7 steps, including a rigorous case study, which risked extended timelines and candidate fatigue.
Urgency — The client aimed to close the search within three months, as the incumbent was already serving their notice period.

The Solution

Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience in Japan’s HR executive search landscape—and having successfully filled this particular role in the past—we quickly mobilized our resources and implemented a strategic approach:

Immediate network activation — Identified the top 5–10 high-potential candidates from our trusted network, leveraging longstanding relationships to achieve a 100% response rate, and provided the client with multi-year insight into each candidate’s career progression, leadership style, and cultural fit.
Strategic market mapping — Conducted a comprehensive search across the Japan HR talent market—including not only HRBPs but also HR Directors, Managers, and other senior professionals aligned with the role’s scope, cultural and leadership fit, and career stage.
Managing stakeholder expectations — Delivered a custom market-intelligence report on the realities of Japan’s senior HR talent pool, and used it to align stakeholders on candidate expectations, availability, and the importance of timely decision-making.
Candidate & client engagement — Maintained transparent, real-time communication to manage timelines and risk, prepared and motivated each candidate throughout the interview process, and pre-aligned on compensation to enable a smoother close.

The Result

Despite a competitive landscape and a lengthy hiring process, our candidate was selected over both direct applicants and other finalists.

Closed the search in just 2 months, ahead of the 3-month target.
No handover gap — the candidate was available to start immediately, ensuring seamless continuity.
The client was highly pleased with both process and outcome, and subsequently engaged us on additional strategic searches.

The candidate was equally enthusiastic about securing this rare opportunity, feeling a strong alignment with the company’s values and particularly appreciating the stability and cohesion of the leadership team.

This case underscores the value of deep market knowledge, long-term candidate relationships, and proactive client advisory in navigating complex, senior-level searches in Japan.

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