Summary

Following its acquisition by a private equity firm, a nationally recognized women’s luxury fashion retailer was embarking on one of the most significant transformations in its history. The organization needed to separate its technology operations from its former parent company and establish a fully independent IT organization before its transition services agreement (TSA) expired—all while continuing to support more than 30 retail locations and a growing direct-to-consumer eCommerce business.

The newly appointed CIO was charged with building an internal technology organization from the ground up. Beyond hiring technical talent, the company needed experienced leaders who could establish governance, modernize enterprise platforms, strengthen cybersecurity and infrastructure, and support future business growth. The initiative required experienced technology professionals who could quickly assume ownership of key enterprise systems while supporting the organization’s transition to an independent IT function.

Building an entirely new IT department under an aggressive timeline required more than traditional recruiting support. The company needed a trusted talent partner that could provide market intelligence and access to highly specialized technology professionals who could help lay the foundation for the organization’s next chapter.

Solutions

The engagement began through a long-standing relationship with the CIO, who had partnered with our team throughout his career at multiple organizations. Having successfully supported both new initiatives and backfill searches over many years, he turned to us once again to help execute one of the most critical initiatives of his career.

Rather than simply filling open positions, our team became an extension of the CIO’s leadership team. We began with a comprehensive needs assessment to understand the organization’s long-term vision. This enabled us to provide guidance on job descriptions, compensation strategy, and current market conditions. Working from the client’s approved organizational chart and hiring roadmap, we quickly launched targeted searches designed to secure the technology talent needed to build the new IT organization.

With a firm transition deadline approaching, speed was just as important as quality. Our recruiting strategy combined immediate outreach to our established technology network with targeted search efforts to quickly identify professionals capable of thriving in a fast-paced transformation environment. Throughout the engagement, we maintained continuous communication with leadership, adapting search strategies as priorities evolved while ensuring hiring decisions remained aligned with business objectives.

Our initial searches focused on building the core technology leadership team responsible for the organization’s enterprise applications, digital platforms, and IT governance. However, these were not traditional technology positions. Each individual would become the internal owner of critical business platforms spanning digital commerce, merchandising, supply chain, finance, HRIS, and customer experience while coordinating with multiple third-party technology partners responsible for implementation and ongoing support.

Over approximately six months, our team completed five concurrent technology searches, presenting 31 highly qualified professionals, facilitating 19 client interviews, and delivering five critical hires:

• Product Manager – Digital: Within approximately 2 months, we identified and presented five qualified candidates, with three moving forward to client interviews and resulting in a successful placement.
• Product Manager – HCM & Financial Systems: Over the course of 3 months, we delivered nine highly qualified candidates, resulting in three interview selections that led to a successful hire.
• Product Manager – Operations & Supply Chain: This search reached a successful conclusion in about 2 months, with four candidates presented and three advancing through the interview process before successfully filling the role.
• Director – Portfolio Management Office: Completed in approximately 3.5 months, this search generated nine qualified candidates, eight of whom were invited to interview with the client, ultimately resulting in a successful placement.
• Quality Assurance Manager: In just 1.5 months, we introduced four qualified professionals, leading to two client interviews, leading to our fifth successful hire.

By the conclusion of the engagement, the client had successfully established the core IT organization needed to operate independently from its former parent company. The new team provided the foundation for continued technology modernization, business growth, and future digital transformation. What began as a complex organizational transition became another successful long-term partnership built on trust, collaboration, and the ability to deliver exceptional technology talent when it mattered most.

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