Hiring talent for new regions

Case Study: Expanding Market Reach and Talent Acquisition for a High-Performing Chemicals Producer

Our client is a high-performing chemicals producer focused on expanding both organically and inorganically into new regions. Their key objectives include growing their talent base of technical sales professionals and increasing market presence, brand awareness, and share in untapped territories.

The Challenge

The client faced several obstacles in achieving their growth ambitions:

• Limited market penetration and brand recognition: In new regions, the company was largely unknown, making it challenging to attract top-tier talent.
• Competitive market environment: The chemicals sector in these regions is highly competitive, both in terms of business opportunities and hiring.
• Talent competition: Competing with larger, well-established companies with strong employer brands created an additional hurdle in recruiting skilled technical sales professionals.

The client needed candidates who could quickly drive business development, establish the company’s brand in new territories, and help penetrate new market segments.

The Solution

To address these challenges, Skills Alliance implemented a comprehensive, consultative approach:

• Salary benchmarking: Provided detailed insights into regional compensation trends, helping the client make competitive offers in unfamiliar markets.
• Talent mapping and insight: Delivered in-depth profiles of technical sales professionals in the target regions, including their experience, career paths, and market expectations.
• Flexible recruitment strategies: Advised on different hiring routes, including candidates with purely technical backgrounds, commercial experience, or a hybrid of both, to best meet the company’s goals.
• Brand representation and awareness: Acted as an effective and persuasive ambassador for the company, raising awareness of its history, products, value proposition, and strategic vision among prospective candidates.

The Results

The approach led to measurable improvements across recruitment and business outcomes:

• Enhanced candidate quality: Searches produced higher-quality candidates with the right technical insights, resulting in more thorough and effective interviews.
• Streamlined recruitment process: Adjusted interview formats (virtual vs. face-to-face) and improved scheduling to speed up hiring.
• Increased brand awareness: Talent pools in new regions are now familiar with the company, its products, and strategic goals.
• Real Business impact: Five leadership placements within their commercial team. These hires have already begun driving portfolio penetration, cross-selling new applications, and contributing significantly to regional growth.

Through this targeted approach, the client successfully increased market presence and secured top-tier technical sales talent in new regions, accelerating their expansion goals.

For similar job requirements, please contact James Connelly, Senior Manager Chemicals, Skills Alliance