Interim Manager helps growth company to market

Case

ClearView Trade needed a versatile sales director with a sense of complexity. Considering it being a company in growth it required the company to test the candidate, whether he/she was suitable

When you work with complicated digitalization of the export industry, it is required, that the employees have an in depth understanding of the area and can work in an ever-changeable environment. If you are at the same time a company in growth, then you have neither time nor the capital to afford mistakes in the hiring process.

ClearView Trade, which streamlines and automates logistics processes and handling of documents in the export industry, faced a challenge. The company, founded by CEO Morten Jensen Øllgaard needed a sales director who had the ability to take the company to the next level, but also understood  the many facets and pitfalls of the export industry.

“It is a complex area we are working within. Much of the export industry is not digitalized, and there are often fatal consequences for companies if they are for example stopped in customs because there are errors in the official documents. By helping them digitalizing their process, we help to elimanate the human error, Morten Jensen Øllgaard explains.

“But as a growth business, new challenges and opportunities are constantly emerging, so we had to find a sales director who understood the complexity, could close orders, understand customer needs, be good at explaining the process, and at the same time be flexible and agile.”

The right candidate

Apart from the fact that the position placed great demands on the candidate, the person to take on the assignment had to also find it exciting to be a part of an innovative growth company.

Morten Jensen Øllgaard explains “We wanted to have the opportunity to test the person beforehand and decided therefore to contact Nextt Management in order for them to help us find a couple of interim candidates with their Try & Hire process.”

“Nextt Management found four good candidates and out of those we found in particular one who had relevant experience needed-such as working with two other growth companies before.

Current sales director at ClearView Trade, Poul Andersen was the candidate selected. Morten Jensen Øllgaard quickly realized that he was the right person for the position. 

“Poul Andersen has helped grow our pipeline and accelerate our sales. Both by adjusting the pricing model so that we get more value for the product, but also so that we can optimize the sales processes. At the same time, he has the ability to recognize when we need special documents for, for example, food exports, and he is always reaching out to build stronger customer relations,”says Morten Jensen Øllgaard.

“He adds “I thought it would be difficult to find the right candidate, but Nextt Management has a huge network of candidates and it has helped the process. At the same time, they were flexible throughout the process in relation to adjustments along the way. So, this is definitely a way we will go a second time – even if we face a specific challenge where we need some special skills for a period of time. Which is obviously the case for a growth business.”

“I thought it would be hard to find the right candidate, but Nextt Management has a huge network of candidates and it has helped the process”