“We need an international General Manager, experienced in chemicals, fluent in Mandarin and French, and ready to move to Inner Mongolia.”
I still remember the client’s words. At that moment, I knew this was going to be one of the toughest assignments of our executive search processes.
The client was no ordinary company either it was a joint venture between the French firm Metaux Speciaux and two local Chinese partners, forming one of the world’s largest producers of sodium metal.
They weren’t just looking for a leader; they were looking for someone who could bridge worlds, cultures, and industries in one of the most challenging locations on the planet, Mongolia.
The challenges came quickly:
We knew this would require a global search. Over the following weeks, we interviewed 25 executives from the USA, Western Europe, and Asia. From that pool, only five made it to the shortlist.
The turning point came when we identified a Canadian executive, a former CEO of a rare earth business, fluent in both Mandarin and French. On paper, he was an exceptional find, but what truly distinguished him was his ability to lead across cultures and his proven track record in volatile markets.
Convincing him, and aligning both the French and Chinese partners, required more than matching credentials. We invested time in building trust, exploring cultural expectations, and carefully positioning the opportunity as a unique career challenge. By doing so, we transformed a difficult assignment into a perfect fit, someone not only willing to relocate to Inner Mongolia, but ready to thrive in that environment.
After a rigorous process, he accepted the role and went on to deliver exactly what the client had envisioned. For me, this assignment was more than just a successful placement, it was proof that even the most improbable searches can be solved with persistence, creativity, and the reach of a trusted global network.
The client was delighted, and to this day, I still regard this case as one of the most unexpected and rewarding successes of our company.
And it’s exactly in stories like this where the strength of INAC Global’s network truly shines: the ability to leverage international reach, local insight, and trusted collaboration to deliver outstanding results for clients around the world.
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Stephen Mothersole, Founder & CEO of Chemical Search International and exclusive partner at INAC Global Executive Search for United Kingdom, United States, and Singapore
Stephen’s career has spanned a wide part of the chemicals sector; from being a European chemicals equity research analyst for leading investment bank S.G. Warburg to corporate development, sales, marketing and business management roles working for Air Products & Chemicals. During this time he was based in the USA and Germany for 8 years.
In 2000 he founded Chemical Search International (CSI) which has steadily grown to one of the most respected boutique executive search firms worldwide for the chemicals and related value-chain.
Stephen holds a BSc in Chemistry from Hull University, UK, an MSc in Bio-analytical chemistry from the University of Cincinnati, USA and an MBA studied in both Spain and Belgium.
In 2018, he also became a founding Partner of CCD Partners, a European-based corporate Advisory firm for the chemicals and related sectors.
