Summary

When this global apparel company became an independent public organization, its technology leadership team faced an extraordinary challenge. In addition to separating from its former parent company, the organization immediately launched a large-scale modernization initiative that included a SAP S/4HANA implementation, enterprise application upgrade, infrastructure expansion, and cybersecurity initiative, along with plans to make several retail tech and digital commerce improvements. This marked the beginning of a comprehensive technology transformation for the company.

Rather than filling isolated positions, the CIO needed to build specialized technology capabilities across nearly every functional area of IT while maintaining aggressive implementation timelines. Success depended on hiring experienced professionals who could contribute immediately, embrace constant change, and help establish the technology foundation for the organization’s next phase of growth.

Our long-standing relationship with the CIO, developed across multiple organizations over many years, allowed us to become an extension of the leadership team throughout this transformation.

Solutions

Unlike a traditional recruiting engagement focused on one department or project, this partnership required building multiple technology disciplines simultaneously.

Working alongside executive leadership, we developed recruiting strategies that aligned with the organization’s transformation roadmap while providing market intelligence, compensation guidance, and hiring consultation throughout the engagement. Because the company was launching one of its largest enterprise initiatives immediately following independence, hiring decisions needed to balance technical expertise, cultural fit, and long-term leadership potential.

“The organizations that navigate transformation most successfully recognize that every specialized technology hire contributes to a much larger business objective. Our role is to ensure those hires strengthen the organization for years to come.”

— Jackie Connors, CEO, The Connors Group

One of the defining characteristics of the engagement was the diversity of technology initiatives occurring at the same time. While many organizations recruit around a single ERP implementation or infrastructure program, this engagement required building leadership across SAP Finance, supply chain technology, retail systems, enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, infrastructure, eCommerce, business intelligence, governance, networking, and IT operations—all while supporting the launch of an independent public company.

As hiring priorities evolved, so did our partnership. New technology initiatives continued to emerge, requiring specialized recruiting support across additional enterprise platforms, customer-facing technologies, data architecture, planning systems, and information security. The ability to rapidly pivot between highly specialized searches allowed the organization to maintain momentum throughout its transformation.

Over approximately nine months, we partnered on 16 specialized technology searches, successfully completing every engagement. Our team presented 68 qualified candidates, facilitated 45 client interviews, and delivered 16 critical hires supporting enterprise applications, SAP, infrastructure, retail technology, cybersecurity, architecture, supply chain systems, and digital commerce.

Key placements included:

• Senior Manager, Solution Architecture: Recruited the enterprise architect responsible for defining the organization’s next-generation technology architecture while supporting future acquisitions, global expansion, security initiatives, and enterprise modernization.
• EDI Lead: Identified the technical leader responsible for modernizing enterprise integrations during the organization’s transition from legacy mainframe technologies to SAP S/4HANA.
• Senior Manager, IT Technology – Finance, Tax & Legal: Placed the technology leader responsible for aligning enterprise finance systems with long-term SAP transformation objectives while serving as the primary liaison between business and IT.
• Senior Manager, Security Governance: Successfully recruited the cybersecurity leader responsible for developing governance, risk, and compliance capabilities that protected enterprise operations while supporting business growth.
• SAP Finance, Distribution Systems, Retail Technology, Planning Systems, Asset Management, Network Engineering, eCommerce Development, Business Intelligence, and Infrastructure: Delivered specialized technology professionals who strengthened nearly every major function within the organization’s enterprise technology landscape.

By the conclusion of the engagement, the organization had assembled a technology team capable of supporting one of its most significant periods of transformation. Rather than simply filling open positions, the recruiting strategy enabled the company to execute concurrent modernization initiatives, accelerate its SAP implementation, strengthen enterprise operations, and establish the technology capabilities necessary to succeed as an independent public company.