Leadership Placements in North America: Selected Case Studies
A selection of mandates across North America — each documented by starting situation, search approach, and outcome.
From CEO succession to full leadership team buildouts.
Real engagements, presented anonymously.
Growth & Scaling
From Near-Zero U.S. Presence to a $70M+ Exit — in Two Years
Building a scalable U.S. organization as the foundation for a successful and profitable exit.
- The U.S. leadership structure was built out within 11 months — from placing a key commercial role to securing a well-regarded industry CEO and establishing a scalable leadership architecture.
- The leadership structure in place drove market credibility, strengthened investor confidence, and created the conditions for a successful and profitable exit within approximately two years.
From $500,000 to $150M+ — Building and Scaling a U.S. Subsidiary
New division of a soolar energy project developer — strong market potential, but a leadership team that lacked the credibility and acceptance needed to succeed in the North American market
- Full leadership reset: a new CEO placed and a five-person team built out within four months.Full leadership reset: a new CEO placed and a five-person team built out within four months.
- The U.S. subsidiary scaled from under $500,000 to approximately $130–150 million in revenue within two years, and was subsequently acquired by an engineering and construction group.
Creating Engineering & Manufacturing Organizations
From Sales Office to First U.S. Manufacturing Site – a General Manager and Five Directors in Under Twelve Months
An international manufacturer of inverters – including central inverters, the large-scale systems used in utility and commercial installations – building manufacturing and engineering outside its home market for the first time.
- The General Manager was secured within weeks, followed by the complete first leadership level: Operations (string and central inverters), HR, Finance, and Materials Management – recruited from leading electronics and technology companies.
- Building the engineering team: five engineers were won from a single regional competitor in controls and power electronics.
- The plant began production on schedule; within five years the site grew to several hundred employees and 400–500 million U.S. dollars in annual shipments. The initial engagement became a multi-year partnership with further placements in product development and at the executive level.
Succession & Leadership Transition
CEO Succession in the U.S. with a Concurrent Site Relocation
U.S. subsidiary of a European medical technology company — added complexity from a simultaneous CEO succession and operational site relocation to Texas.
- A COO was placed with a clearly defined CEO succession path, ensuring operational stability and regulatory continuity throughout the relocation.
- Twelve months after joining, the COO stepped into the CEO role — with no operational disruption and full regulatory and organizational continuity maintained throughout the site transition.
CEO succession and organizational restructuring
The long-serving managing director of the U.S. subsidiary of a European manufacturer of sawing technology and production equipment announced his retirement to the shareholders. For the owner family, this created the need for a structured CEO succession, under clear time pressure.
- Placed a new CEO with a proven turnaround profile — within the defined timeline, despite acute internal leadership instability.
- Retained the company’s critical technical lead and built a structured governance relationship with the parent company — in under 16 weeks from kickoff to placement.
One Assignment, Two Placements: A CEO for the USA — and a Global Accounts Executive in Hong Kong
Placing the head of the U.S. subsidiary of a global market leader — and gaining a second key executive from the same shortlist.
CEO Succession in the U.S. Real Estate Market
Our client was a leading German-Swiss investment and asset management company in the real estate sector, founded in the early 1980s and headquartered in Switzerland. The firm structured and managed high-quality commercial properties for an international investor base including high-net-worth individuals, foundations, trusts, and institutional investors. With subsidiaries across several European countries as well as North and South America, the company had a truly global presence.
CEO and CFO Succession – Global Decorative Surfaces Manufacturer (Part 1: CEO Search)
Part 1 of a dual mandate
3 Critical Hires, 1 Family Business Saved: A Medical Device Manufacturer's US Leadership Rebuild
After her own leadership team turned on her, a founder’s daughter had to decide who she could still trust to
rebuild it.
- Rebuilt an entire US leadership team — President, VP Sales, and Director of Operations — after a boardroom
betrayal and a same-week double resignation, with the VP Sales hire introduced to the client in under a month. - Right-sized a stalled search to a post-tariff budget reality, placing a plant leader within the company’s real means.
- Retained two internal candidates passed over for promotion, preserving institutional knowledge through the
crisis.
Finance Organization North America
CFO North America.
International industrial group with a Global parent company and multiple North American locations.
- Full accountability for the North American sites, including the establishment of consolidated reporting and control structures aligned with the German parent.
- The role was initially defined as Executive Vice President Finance North America, with a mandate to strengthen regional transparency, reporting, and governance. As the organization evolved, the candidate was promoted to CFO North America following his appointment — taking on responsibility for Finance, Controlling, IT, and Risk Management.
Interim stabilization and dual leadership appointment in the U.S. finance function Interim stabilization and dual leadership appointment in the U.S. finance function in der Finance-Funktion USA
From a failed retained search to reliable cost accounting and transatlantic governance.
- Placed an Interim Finance Director with immediate full ownership of the US finance function — stabilizing reporting, forecasting, and year-end close within nine months.
- Two permanent finance leaders placed from the same shortlist — Head of Finance at the primary site and Director of Finance at the new greenfield plant — without a second search mandate or fee.
CFO North America After a US Acquisition
Appointing a CFO North America after the acquisition of a US firm serving as the growth platform for
the Americas — for one of the leading international planning and consulting groups.
CEO and CFO Succession – Global Decorative Surfaces Manufacturer (Part 2: CFO Search)
Part 2 of a dual mandate covering CEO and CFO succession for the same client
Sales Organization North America
Introducing a New Structure to Stabilize the North American Organization
International industrial group in the connector technology sector, facing organizational challenges across its North American operations.
- A new leadership structure was introduced to retain key executives while adding new talent to restructure and stabilize the organization.
- The new leadership structure also reduced the reliance on a single key leader after the previous CEO underperformed
Governance-Led Restructuring of a U.S. Executive Agreement
Securing the long-term commitment of the President of a North American subsidiary — through a six-year executive agreement with clear governance mechanisms, performance-based incentives, and a durable long-term structure.
Operational Stabilization
Rural manufacturing site of an automotive supplier — facing both operational and structural challenges.
Stabilization and reorganization of an underperforming production facility in a rural U.S. location.
- Stabilization and reorganization of an underperforming production facility in a rural U.S. location.
- A seasoned Plant Manager with turnaround expertise was placed to restore process stability and profitability, and to realign the site with the expectations of the European parent company.
Interim CEO After a Sudden Leadership Exit
Stabilizing a US Subsidiary in Building Technology
Interim President and Tandem Placement: Rebuilding the U.S. Leadership of a Space Industry Supplier
From the sudden separation from a long-term President to a stronger leadership team — interim, President, and COO from one coordinated engagement
From a $50M Settlement to IP Leadership — An American Leads the Way in Bavaria
One of TH Bender’s early landmark mandates
Are you planning to fill a leadership position, arrange a succession, or restructure your organization in North America?
In a confidential discussion, we will explore alternative approaches and decision-making options.