Geopyörä: Supporting a Critical CEO Appointment at a Pioneering Mining Technology Business

Attracting Senior Leadership to an Emerging Mining Technology Business

As a growing technology business headquartered in Oulu, Finland, Geopyörä had a business-critical need to attract an experienced senior leader who could work effectively within an emerging organization while helping drive its commercial growth and international ambitions. With Oulu being a relatively remote location, the search required consideration of candidates beyond the local market and enough flexibility around the location to secure the right person.

Another challenge was that Geopyörä was still relatively unknown outside its immediate network, while the search targeted senior professionals from major mining and engineering organizations. Many senior candidates already work for established global businesses and have multiple opportunities available to them, making it important to clearly communicate why joining an evolving technology company represents an attractive career opportunity.

The appointment also required Geopyörä to navigate a process it had not experienced before. The successful candidate would be joining at a seniority level above the existing management team, making candidate management and negotiations particularly important throughout what became a detailed selection process.

A Targeted Executive Search Built Around the Business

Chrysalix Venture Capital reached out to CSG Talent knowing that a CEO appointment would soon be required. This early involvement allowed the search to begin ahead of the funding being completed and gave CSG Talent time to understand the business and the type of leader required. This talent pipelining is vital in phases of growth and leadership succession.

CSG Talent held weekly catchups involving the VC, board, and senior team, which helped build trust across the organization while making sure everyone remained aligned as candidates progressed.

Geopyörä also provided a detailed list of people to approach. CSG Talent managed those individuals alongside candidates identified through its vast network, taking responsibility for initial outreach and candidate engagement. This saved the Geopyörä team significant time and allowed them to focus on running the business while CSG Talent handled the considerable work involved in reaching senior professionals.

The strength of CSG Talent's mining network was particularly valuable in expanding the search beyond Geopyörä's initial target list. The team was able to introduce candidates who had not previously been identified by the business, creating a broader pool of senior professionals to assess and ultimately providing the candidate who was appointed as CEO, Sarah Hoffman.

CSG Talent acted as an extension of the business, which is where we see the most impactful results as a successful recruitment partner. It allows CSG to communicate the technology, growth plans, and the opportunity available to senior professionals. Established relationships and the reputation of the CSG Talent team also helped open conversations with candidates who may not have responded if approached directly by a startup.

The selection process itself was extensive, with the successful candidate going through several conversations as well as a full psychological profiling. The final candidate was even met in person while she was on Holiday, demonstrating the level of commitment from both sides to securing the right person. CSG Talent remained closely involved throughout the process, managing communication between all parties to ensure candidate interest was not lost.

CSG Talent also provided guidance when the right candidate initially appeared to be outside of Geopyörä's salary expectations. The mining team was able to demonstrate the potential value and return on investment of securing the right person for such a critical appointment. By the time the business had met Sarah and assessed her suitability, they were convinced that she was the right person. Understanding the market and advising clients on when to stretch for exceptional talent is a key benefit of partnering with an executive recruiter.