Dedicated Commercial Leadership with The Patience and Experience Needed To Drive Growth

For more than 40 years, this company has been providing sealing technology to oil and gas operations around the world. The company sells mechanical seals and gasket solutions for use wherever compressors or pumps are in operation. The company is based in the UK and has a commercial team of 10 people based in Houston. With the growth of the US business, the entire sales function depended on one person. It became clear this person wasn’t going to stay forever and so a replacement needed to be found quickly. The new Sales Manager would need to carry existing relationships and also develop new business at the same time.

There aren’t many generalists in technical sales in sealing products. It’s a small world. The ideal candidate had direct experience selling mechanical seals or similar components into oil & gas accounts. Managing OEM accounts was part of the job from day one, with no ramp period factored in. In this sector, deals take months to close and performance is measured by progress in the pipeline, not monthly bookings. That requires a different commercial profile and a patient candidate with the drive to attract new accounts. There’s a lot of demand in Houston but fewer supply-side professionals with the product knowledge this role requires.

The search was focused on professionals with direct sales experience with sealing or industrial components, which narrowed the pool of candidates. One candidate sold mechanical seals to oil and gas accounts and was responsible for OEM relationships in the sector. He also had the technical grounding to sustain the product conversations a sales cycle in this sector requires. Several candidates went through several rounds of interviews before the final stage. He was interviewed again by the company’s Chairman and the Group Managing Director. That meeting led to both the client and the candidate being ready to move forward.

The appointment comes after a process including several candidates and two rounds of senior level interviews. The offer was made and accepted in a relatively short period of time after the final interview. Background checks were clean and first-day check-ins confirmed the new Sales Manager was on board. He joined a 10-person Houston team with an established oil and gas customer base and a mandate to grow it. The appointment was made at a 24% fee under the exclusive engagement with Keller Executive Search.