The Brief
Concert Bio, an agritech start-up, approached AgRecruit with the need to recruit a Head of Commercial. The requirement was to identify an individual capable of spearheading the commercialisation of Concert’s first product; somebody able to define go-to-market strategy, operate internationally, and could combine this with still being ‘hands on’ from a sales perspective.
The product is of a specialist nature; a powerful data-driven microbiome optimisation platform for greenhouse-based crop growers, along with a new, scientifically backed microbial biostimulant product. This added to the niche nature of the requirement, as relevant domain experience – ideally selling a complex tech / scientific proposition into the horticulture realm – would be needed.
Most importantly, a successful track record would need to be demonstrated and evidence of achieving that relatively rare thing in the agritech start-up world… leading a business from early-stage revenue generation to multi-millions in sales.
The Process
Using our own market expertise & research combined with consultation with Concert Bio, we set about conducting a market mapping exercise – in other words, identifying every business in a similar domain, and every individual working (or who had previously worked) within those who could possess the relevant experience and skillset.
By methodically and discretely approaching every one of those individuals over a period of weeks, we were able to narrow the market map down to a number of viable individuals who were interested in the opportunity and passed our vetting process.
Our history and credibility in the sector meant that we were also able to bolster this by putting word out into our networks, resulting in credible candidates contacting us who were curious to know more…
The Outcome
After presenting Concert Bio with a number of options for interview, one candidate emerged as a stand-out contender. A highflyer with a successful track record in numerous other agritech businesses, this individual was relocating for personal reasons from New Zealand to Concert’s geographical area, and had sought out AgRecruit in the hope of unearthing an exciting opportunity…
With the candidate matching Concert’s brief, and the opportunity lining up with the candidate’s ambitions, a relatively swift successful conclusion was reached… and the candidate being able to start within days of offer confirmation.
To sum up, Concert Bio and the successful candidate had this to say:
“We contacted AgRecruit when we needed a rockstar Head of Commercial to accelerate the commercialisation of our first product. David took the time to understand our mission, our target market, and exactly what we needed at this critical stage. His industry-specific expertise was invaluable, and he brought us a great selection of strong, well-matched candidates. We’re really grateful to David for helping us make a fantastic hire, and will definitely work with AgRecruit again as we continue to grow and scale.” Lisa Avenell, CCO at Concert Bio
“David is a fantastic recruiter — meticulous with details and highly professional in his approach to placing candidates. He placed me in a role, and I would wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone seeking opportunities in agritech or biotech. A great guy and a pleasure to work with!” – James Watson, the new Commercial Lead at Concert Bio
