General Manager to Grow European Business Across EMEA

The client is a US-based manufacturer of cargo securement systems with a global footprint, delivering industrial safety solutions to logistics, transportation, and dangerous goods customers in international markets. The company had a real European footprint, with products stocked in warehouses all over Europe and sales handled by a network of regional distributors. But it needed dedicated in-market leadership to take it to the next level of regional growth. The client has created a new role – General Manager, EMEA – providing a senior leader with ownership of the European business and a mandate to build, scale, and fortify it. 

The General Manager will be stepping into a new position with no predecessor to take over an established distributor network, mentor a junior sales representative, and work on a strategic roadmap for growing revenue. The position was designed to be field-heavy with a focus on face-to-face contact with distributors, lots of travel throughout the market, and a hands-on approach to both commercial and warehouse operations. 

The brief called for 10+ years’ experience in dangerous goods or logistics, proven experience in managing distributor networks, and P&L responsibility to run a regional business independently. Cultural fit was just as important because the right candidate was someone who was passionate about building things from scratch in a lean, entrepreneurial environment and not managing within an established corporate structure. That combination, in a specific European geography, added even more precision to a more targeted brief. 

Looking for candidates based in the EMEA who have good sector experience in cargo securing, logistics solutions, or related industrial verticals. The assessment criteria included weighted distributor network management capability, regional P&L ownership, and field sales track record, and the leadership judgment that would be required to run a standalone regional operation. Finally, a structured, multi-round process involved senior stakeholders from the client’s US leadership team in a high-level evaluation. 

The client has recruited a General Manager for its EMEA operations following a focused international search. The role required sector knowledge, distributor management credentials, and field-sales experience, and the successful candidate had all of this, with the offer signed and background checks completed before an immediate start.