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Foodservice Executive Search

 

In today’s competitive foodservice industry, finding the right executive who can hit the ground running isn’t just preferred, it’s essential. When a global food distributor approached us to fill a critical Director position for their dairy division, they made one thing clear: they needed a proven performer who could deliver results immediately, not someone who would require months to get up to speed.

Finding Enterprise-Level Expertise

Traditional hiring processes often result in executives who need months to understand the business, build relationships, and begin to make meaningful contributions to the business and their team. Our client couldn’t afford that luxury in an industry where commodity prices are in constant flux and supplier relationships can make or break quarterly performance.

Our strategic approach goes beyond matching job descriptions to resumes. We focus on identifying candidates with proven results and industry expertise that align perfectly with our clients’ needs, both immediate and long-term.

For this role, we identified an exceptional candidate with over 15 years of experience in foodservice procurement and supply chain management, and other notable accolades including:

  • Direct experience managing $500M+ category portfolios in cheese and dairy
  • Proven track record of driving consistent year-over-year margin growth
  • Expertise in commodity market analysis using industry-standard tools like CME and Urner Barry
  • History of successful vendor contract negotiations and strategic sourcing initiatives
  • Leadership experience managing large-scale national accounts

Equipped with deep industry knowledge and established relationships, our candidate was able to begin optimizing procurement strategies immediately. Her experience with commodity market volatility and data-driven decision making will allow the organization to navigate pricing challenges during times of economic uncertainty.

Beyond Recruitment: Strategic Partnership

This successful placement showcases the importance of a strategic executive search partner. When organizations need leaders who can deliver immediate impact, the depth of the candidate evaluation, industry expertise and relationship-building capabilities become key differentiators.

At Alpha Executive Search, we don’t just find candidates; we identify leaders who understand industry nuances, organizational culture and strategic priorities. When the stakes are high and time is critical, having the right partner means accessing leaders who are ready to deliver results immediately, not eventually.