Background
Mackinnon Bruce International has built a trusted, long-term partnership with a client in the speciality chemicals industry for over five years.
This collaboration began through a strong professional relationship between Tim Storey-Hall, a senior leader within the client organisation, and Zach Savva, MBI’s Director of Chemicals and Consumer Goods. Tim had previously worked for Reckitt, Symrise, and Croda and had a wealth of industry experience.
Having worked closely with Zach in a previous role, Tim immediately sought to partner with him again upon moving to his new company, recognising Zach’s deep industry expertise and reliability.
The client, a prominent player in the speciality chemicals space, needed tailored recruitment support to source niche, high-calibre talent for critical roles across regulatory, product safety, and toxicology functions.
Challenges
Before working with MBI, the client was facing several recruitment challenges:
Limited Internal Resources: The company had only one internal recruiter, whose generalist background made it challenging to identify and attract highly specialised talent.
Skill Gaps: The lack of industry-specific expertise made it difficult to source candidates with the right technical knowledge and cultural fit.
Vacancy-Driven Revenue Loss: Extended time-to-fill for key roles resulted in operational strain and potential revenue loss, as open positions disrupted workflow and team capacity.
Solution
Recognising the urgent need for specialised recruitment support, Tim partnered with MBI as their preferred recruitment partner. MBI brought:
Industry-Specific Expertise: Deep knowledge of the speciality chemicals industry, including regulatory affairs, toxicology, and product safety.
Comprehensive Pre-Screening: Rigorous screening processes ensured that only highly qualified and culturally aligned candidates were presented.
Scalable Support: Flexible resources to manage fluctuations in hiring needs across multiple departments.
Implementation
Throughout the partnership, MBI worked closely with the client to fill over 50 positions, spanning key functional areas such as:
- Regulatory & Safety
- Toxicology & Eco-toxicology
- Product Safety
- Strategic Regulatory Management
Key implementation steps included:
Candidate Sourcing: Leveraging market mapping techniques to identify both active and passive talent across Europe.
Pre-Screening & Assessment: In-depth evaluations to ensure technical competency, team fit, and role alignment.
Collaborative Interview Process: Working alongside hiring managers to streamline interviews and feedback cycles.
Strategic Hires: Building entire functions from the ground up, including the establishment of a dedicated Product Safety department and the hiring of a Head of Product Safety.
Results
The impact of MBI’s recruitment partnership has been significant:
Improved Quality of Hire: Enhanced pre-screening ensured candidates with strong technical and cultural fit.
Faster Time-to-Fill: Reduced vacancy durations, minimising operational disruptions and revenue loss.
Enhanced Team Dynamics: MBI’s market mapping services helped identify dynamic, forward-thinking individuals that aligned with the company’s innovative culture.
Trust-Based Efficiency: With established trust, MBI was able to operate with speed and autonomy, saving time for internal stakeholders.
Client feedback consistently praised MBI for their expertise, candidate quality, and deep understanding of the industry landscape.
Conclusion
This case study exemplifies the value of a strategic, long-term recruitment partnership. MBI’s tailored approach, deep industry insight, and commitment to excellence enabled the client to build a robust, future-ready team in a highly specialised market.
Ongoing support continues through:
Market Mapping Initiatives: Particularly in regulatory affairs, toxicology R&D and innovation.
Cost-effective method: The payment structure for a market mapping project is done at a fixed cost agreed at the start of the project. We then offer a clawback scheme where no further placement fees are payable until the cost of the initial mapping project is recouped by the client. This way ensures value for money and that the market mapping leads to future hires.
MBI remains a trusted talent partner, ready to support the client’s continued growth and innovation in the speciality chemicals industry.