Challenged by our client to find an accomplished marketing leader, Mandrake undertook a comprehensive search and found an exceptional candidate with the right functional and industry expertise to bring the company to the next level.

Our client is a global leader and innovator in the seafood industry specializing in harvesting, processing, and distributing shellfish. Since its launch in the 1970s, the company has grown organically by acquiring fishing licenses as well as through the acquisition of other seafood operations. In recent years, the organization focused on improving operational efficiencies, controlling costs, and expanding marketing efforts. Having revitalized its global sales and marketing team, the company wanted to find a vice president to drive strategic marketing efforts. This role required identifying and targeting profitable and growing markets, as well as innovating and positioning products to deliver superior customer satisfaction and value. The ideal candidate was a seasoned marketing leader with international experience in consumer/ foodservice marketing and product development in the fast-moving consumer goods industry.

We met with our client to obtain a clear and thorough understanding of the organization, the role, and our mandate. Together, we developed informative company and position profiles to present to potential candidates. As we wanted to find the best talent to work in a Canadian destination, we first identified candidates who were trained, developed and currently working in Canada. Our search also identified global talent including individuals from Europe and the US who were open to a Canadian relocation. In addition to the usual challenges of identifying and motivating talent, we also had to consider the details of work eligibility in Canada.

We found an accomplished American marketing executive for this unique Canadian opportunity. The new hire had a distinguished career with progressive and broad marketing roles and experience working in US, European, and Asian markets. They also demonstrated a successful track record in consumer-packaged goods, food marketing and product innovation in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer environments. This individual had been previously recognized for exceptional team leadership capability, strategic insights and most importantly, results.