Finding the First Senior HR Leader for a Luxury Brand’s Andalusian Manufacturing Operation

The Paris-based luxury goods company has manufacturing plants in southern Spain, where it employs more than 800 people at its Andalusian sites, and is preparing to open a new facility in Barcelona. The Spanish operation is a key part of the group’s industrial footprint but had been operating without senior HR leadership on the ground.

The new HR leader will be the first at that level for the Spanish operation, with responsibility for all Spanish sites, a team of five to seven, and a direct reporting line to the Global Head of People and Culture in Paris. The role demanded extensive knowledge of industrial HR, Spanish labor law, union issues, collective agreement administration, health and safety standards, and practical management of direct and indirect manufacturing workforces, all within the framework of a French luxury brand, culturally and operationally. 

The search was specifically challenging due to two constraints. The primary location is in a remote Andalusian manufacturing community that does not have a local pool of senior HR professionals, so relocation is a non-negotiable for most viable candidates. The company is also a big employer in the local region, so any visible search activity could be exposed. 

The search was handled in strict confidence at every stage: all candidates on the shortlist were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements before the client’s identity was revealed.

Keller ran a fully private nationwide search across Spain, identifying candidates from specialized sectors where the combination of industrial HR depth and luxury or premium brand sensibility is most likely to coexist. The search had further conditions, as candidates also needed experience in union negotiations and multi-site industrial HR, with the ability to operate within the governance expectations of a European HQ and with the willingness to relocate to Andalusia. 

Keller hired a senior HR leader with a career spanning luxury and industrial environments in Spain and Europe. The appointed leader had negotiated collective agreements, led HR functions across multi-site unionized workforces, managed site openings and operated within the governance and reporting expectations of large international organizations.The combination of luxury sector experience and deep industrial HR knowledge made for a well-matched appointment.