Bridging Cultures, Building Teams

THE CHALLENGE

The assignment was a discreet and highly strategic executive search project, initiated due to the incumbent’s personal desire to relocate back to the UK. The role in question was based in Hanoi, Vietnam – a location which presents notable challenges in terms of international mobility and executive appeal.

Tasked with appointing a Market CEO to lead the Vietnamese operations of a major offshore wind player, the brief came with a complex set of requirements. Contributing factors included the intricacies of multiple joint ventures, demanding stakeholder dynamics, and the necessity to have deep sector expertise in offshore wind – a niche, highly-specialised and globally competitive talent pool.

Given these constraints, our client required not only a leader with technical and commercial acumen, but also someone with the diplomatic and operational finesse to navigate a multi-stakeholder environment in a less conventional market. The search demanded sensitivity, precision, and global reach.

OUR APPROACH

This was a fully global mandate, initiated by a focus on seasoned offshore wind development professionals. Given the complexity and seniority of the role, the target candidate pool was initially drawn from the world’s most mature offshore wind markets – such as the UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands – where the technical expertise and leadership experience required for such a position are most concentrated.

However, beyond technical capability, there was a critical need for cultural fluency and regional awareness. Experience in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region was highly desirable, with communication and leadership styles needing to align with local expectations and sensitivities. This added an important dimension to the search, requiring not only deep sector knowledge, but also nuanced interpersonal and cross-cultural skills.

We conducted an exhaustive search across the global offshore wind talent landscape, identifying and engaging with over 175 high-profile candidates. We also explored talent pools in emerging offshore wind markets such as the US and Australia, expanding the scope beyond traditional geographies.

Despite the strong employer brand and the strategic nature of the opportunity, candidate mobility emerged as a key barrier, with many senior executives hesitant to relocate to Vietnam, even for a high-impact role with a respected market leader. In other cases, promising candidates lacked the required depth of experience in offshore wind, often having transitioned into the sector too recently.

In response to these constraints, we collaborated closely with the client to refine the brief. Together, we broadened the parameters of the search to include candidates from adjacent sectors – such as oil & gas – provided they brought extensive experience in leading large-scale infrastructure projects and had demonstrated adaptability in cross-cultural environments.

This agile approach allowed us to maintain the integrity of the role while significantly expanding the pool of viable candidates, ultimately insuring that the client could access the leadership talent needed to drive their strategic ambitions in Vietnam.

CONCLUSION

We adapted our approach with greater flexibility – maintaining momentum through twice-weekly updates, rapidly surfacing new candidates, and re-presenting individuals we felt warranted renewed consideration in light of the evolving brief.

The ultimately successful candidate fell into this category: a standout professional whose stakeholder expertise, regional acumen, and leadership style made him the right fit for the role – even if he didn’t meet every technical requirement on paper.

This outcome exemplifies how trust, transparency, and a willingness to recalibrate can deliver outstanding results in even the most challenging talent markets.