Chief Financial OfficerAutomotive Manufacturing
CFO Succession at a European-Owned Auto Parts Manufacturer
A European-owned auto parts maker needed a new Chief Financial Officer as its long-serving finance head prepared to retire. The brief required plant finance skill, group reporting, and trust within a team that had worked together for years.
The Client
The company produces precision metal parts for large vehicle groups at several plants around North America. These sites belong to a large industrial group with a presence in many countries and are based in Europe. Finance includes plant costs, reports, new spend, and regular data sent to the overseas parent. Many of the senior leaders have been around for years, building a stable and close team culture. The new CFO needed to have good finance skills and the tact to fit in well with the established group. The position was also the primary finance link with the overseas group leaders.
The Challenge
The planned retirement gave time for a handover, but the search had to remain quiet. A fairly new president also had to establish a close working relationship with the incoming CFO. The role combined plant finance with group reporting under commonly used global account rules. Good trade sense and financial skills were required for vehicle pricing, cost claims, and major spend calls. Large plant investments also had to be approved by the group leaders outside North America. Because the senior team valued long service, fit, and job history were tested as rigorously as core skills.
The Solution
Keller Executive Search interviewed finance heads from auto plants and other companies owned abroad. In an early review, plant costs, price negotiations with customers, group reports, and length of service in previous posts were assessed. A wide pool was narrowed through multiple rounds until two people met all the key skills and fit the needs. They both had online discussions with HR, and separate in-person meetings with the regional president. The lead candidate demonstrated strong auto skills, consistent career choices, and comfort with an overseas parent. Before the offer, he flew to the group office in Europe for a final finance meeting.
The Results
That last interview was the clincher, and the firm offered him a job soon after he returned. The checks were clean, and the new CFO joined in accordance with the agreed notice and handover plan. His plant finance work and strong career fit the criteria laid out at the beginning of the search. The outgoing leader remained on for a set period to hand over reports, budgets, and group links. Keller Executive Search placed a CFO who was ready for the daily needs of the plant and long-term work with the senior team.
The Impact
The new CFO was given a structured handover period from his predecessor and a clear mandate to build a working relationship with the newly appointed President from day one, joining a leadership team that had barely changed in twenty years. That continuity created an unstated requirement that the job had to meet. Candidates with strong credentials but short stints at previous employers weren’t what a group like this one needed, and the search was built around that distinction. The group reporting relationship, the OEM pricing dynamics, and the IFRS obligations of a Swiss parent are now with someone whose track record indicates he would stay long enough to make a difference.
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