Placement in a Global Technology Services Organisation – Case Study: Appointing an Executive Vice President, Chief Delivery Officer
The Challenge
A global technology services organisation was seeking to appoint an Executive Vice President and Chief Delivery Officer to lead one of its most critical delivery organisations across Europe.
This was a pivotal leadership appointment. The successful executive would be responsible for overseeing the delivery of complex, multi million pound client engagements spanning multiple industries, service lines and geographies, whilst leading large, distributed teams operating within a highly matrixed global business.
The ideal candidate needed to bring deep operational leadership, experience of managing major transformation and outsourcing programmes, and a proven ability to lead at executive level within a complex international environment.
A key challenge was that the client was looking to attract talent from a significantly larger competitor. Success would depend not only on identifying the right individual, but on articulating a compelling vision for the organisation’s future growth, investment and leadership opportunity.
Our Approach
Leveraging our network across the global technology services market, we identified and engaged senior delivery leaders from some of the industry’s most respected organisations.
Our assessment focused on operational excellence, executive leadership, stakeholder management and the ability to navigate highly matrixed businesses where multiple capabilities, shared services and industry verticals come together to deliver complex client outcomes.
Alongside technical capability and leadership experience, we spent significant time positioning the opportunity itself, helping candidates understand the client’s strategic direction, growth ambitions and the opportunity to shape the future of the European delivery organisation.
Following a comprehensive search and assessment process, the successful executive accepted the role and joined the business.
The Outcome
The appointment strengthened the organisation’s executive leadership team with a highly accomplished delivery leader who brought extensive experience managing large scale client portfolios, leading diverse international teams and driving operational excellence across complex organisations.
The successful candidate also brought valuable experience from a larger competitor, introducing fresh perspectives and leadership approaches that supported the client’s continued growth and operational maturity.
Beyond the Placement
Joining the organisation represented more than a change of employer. It required adapting to a highly complex matrix structure that had evolved significantly through a series of major acquisitions.
Whilst the executive had extensive experience leading large delivery organisations, integrating into a business with multiple service lines, overlapping capabilities and newly formed leadership structures presented a different set of challenges.
As part of our Search & Succeed™ methodology, one of our experienced executive coaches supported the executive throughout the critical onboarding period. Together, they focused on understanding organisational dynamics, navigating the complexity of the matrix, building relationships across the wider leadership community and accelerating integration into the business.
This structured support enabled the executive to establish credibility quickly, develop trusted relationships across multiple stakeholders and lead with confidence during a period of significant organisational evolution.
The Value We Delivered
The most successful executive appointments are those that balance technical capability, leadership style and long term cultural fit.
By combining deep market knowledge, a rigorous executive search process and structured post placement integration, we helped our client secure a Chief Delivery Officer who was equipped not only to lead a complex delivery organisation, but to thrive within it and create lasting value for the business.
Delivered by Jemma Gajic, Managing Partner
