Case Study: Key Leadership Hires Across Chemicals & Process Industries
Supporting Colloids' international growth across China and the USA
Colloids, a fast-growing manufacturer of specialist masterbatch and polymer solutions, needed to strengthen its leadership capability across two strategically important international markets.
Over a six-month period, RMG was retained to deliver two time-critical General Manager appointments in China and Texas, USA.
Both roles carried broad responsibility across P&L, operations, commercial growth, talent and strategy, but each required a very different leadership profile.
The Challenge
In China, Colloids needed an experienced regional leader capable of managing the full business unit, driving commercial performance and overseeing sales, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain and finance.
In the USA, the brief centred on leadership of a brand-new Texas manufacturing facility, with responsibility for helping define the US strategy, building the local team and creating the operational platform for future growth.
The common requirement was clear: find commercially minded industrial leaders with the credibility to run complex businesses, not simply individual functions.
The RMG Approach
RMG mapped the wider chemicals, polymers, plastics and process manufacturing markets across North America, Europe and Asia.
Candidates were assessed against four core areas:
P&L and general management experience
Operational and manufacturing credibility
Commercial leadership and customer focus
Ability to lead effectively within an international group
The search strategy was tailored to each geography, with regular market feedback provided to Colloids throughout both assignments.
The Appointments
For China, RMG appointed an internationally experienced specialty chemicals executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. His background included senior positions with Ashland, AkzoNobel and Noramco, combining commercial leadership, operational excellence and international P&L responsibility.
For Texas, RMG appointed a manufacturing executive with more than 25 years of experience across plastics and process manufacturing. His background included greenfield start-ups, full P&L ownership, major CAPEX programmes and leadership of complex manufacturing operations, including previous responsibility for a $66m new-facility installation programme.
The Outcome
Within six months, RMG delivered two critical international leadership appointments for Colloids across China and the United States.
The searches required different candidate markets and different leadership profiles, but shared one objective:
To put experienced, commercially capable leaders in place to support Colloids' continued international growth.
RMG Chemicals & Process Industries
RMG supports organisations across specialty chemicals, polymers, advanced materials and process manufacturing with senior leadership appointments spanning general management, commercial, operational and functional leadership.