Family-Owned Industrial Manufacturer — Industrial Manufacturing

After thirty-one years, the founder of a precision components manufacturer decided to step back. The board needed a successor, but any hint of the search reaching customers or the 400-strong workforce risked destabilising both. Two family shareholders also disagreed on whether the next chief executive should come from inside the industry.

Erdobar conducted a fully confidential retained search in which the client’s identity was withheld until final-stage conversations. We began by facilitating a structured alignment session with the board to convert competing preferences into an agreed specification, which removed the deadlock before candidates were ever approached. Assessment focused on judgement under ambiguity and the capacity to hold a long-established culture while modernising operations.

The appointed chief executive came from an adjacent sector, bringing automation experience the business lacked.

Outcome: Succession completed in 19 weeks with zero market speculation, unanimous board approval, and 14% operating margin improvement in the first full year.