Case Study

PROBLEM

Our client, JDI, based in Saint John, NB, sought a highly-specialized Head of Tax to serve as the 2ic to the incumbent Vice President, Tax, Customs and Internal. Given the various complex tax and tax planning needs of JDl's main business verticals, this role was viewed as especially critical at the time of the search. The organization had previously found it challenging to attract high-caliber talent to move to New Brunswick, and thus there was considerable skepticism about the likelihood for success.

APPROACH

Our work focused on candidates outside of the Maritimes, and instead on those who were in “2ic” roles or otherwise blocked from further ascent due to internal challenges. DES's depth in the Alberta market was particularly helpful in identifying such individuals. Our preference was for candidates who had a degree of exposure to industrial companies, as well as within large, conglomerate structures, as our view was that competencies were transferable, as long as candidates brought experience from similar “ business model/company types” so that they could add value beyond the typical technical activities of a CFO. As well, given the direct leadership and oversight of the Tax team, a “must-have” among candidates was past responsibility for managing income tax and commodity tax matters for a large group of private companies.