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Executive Search Utilities Case Study
Douglas Jackson partnered with FYLD, a fast-growing B2B technology business, to appoint a VP, EMEA Utilities as part of a wider global leadership build.
FYLD was scaling an AI driven fieldwork platform designed to transform how operational teams work across Utilities and Infrastructure. Backed by £14 million in seed and Series A funding from investors including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Boston Consulting Group and SGN, the business needed to strengthen its leadership capability to support further market growth.
The appointment was the final strategic hire in a series of four global leadership searches supporting FYLD’s expansion.
Search at a glance
Sector: Utilities / Infrastructure Technology
Client: FYLD
Role: VP, EMEA – Utilities
Level: Senior Commercial Leadership
Search Type: Executive Search
Business Context: Investor backed B2B technology scale-up
Key Challenge: Accelerate Utilities market penetration and adoption of disruptive technology
Outcome: Successful appointment, with an additional role created due to the strength of the talent identified
The Challenge
FYLD needed a senior commercial leader who could engage credibly with C-suite stakeholders across the Utilities sector while helping accelerate adoption of a disruptive technology proposition.
This was not simply a traditional sales leadership appointment.
The successful candidate needed to combine:
- Utilities sector credibility
- Commercial judgement
- Experience working with senior decision-makers
- Understanding of digital transformation
- The ability to operate in a scaling, investor-backed business
- Strategic thinking around market growth
- Cultural fit with a fast-moving technology organisation
The role also needed to align with FYLD’s wider investor expectations and ambitions for continued expansion across the UK and EMEA.
Shaping the Brief
Douglas Jackson worked with FYLD as a strategic search partner rather than simply taking the initial specification to market.
The brief was challenged and refined to ensure the role aligned with the organisation’s growth strategy, market position and investor expectations.
This included broadening some of the original assumptions around where relevant talent might sit and defining the balance between Utilities experience, digital transformation capability and commercial leadership.
Mapping the Market
Using Douglas Jackson’s Impact 360 methodology, the search explored the Utilities market alongside relevant adjacent sectors.
A total of 144 potential candidates were identified across the UK and EMEA.
The objective was to find leaders who could combine strong commercial capability with the experience and credibility required to influence adoption of new technology across complex Utilities organisations.
Assessment and Shortlisting
The market was progressively refined through detailed interviews and behavioural assessment.
This allowed Douglas Jackson and FYLD to look beyond career history and assess:
- Leadership style
- Commercial orientation
- Cultural alignment
- Strategic judgement
- Ability to influence senior stakeholders
- Capability to operate successfully in a fast-growth environment
Candidates were then introduced to FYLD’s senior leadership team, including the CEO and Co-Founder, allowing both strategic and cultural fit to be tested in depth.
A High Touch Search Process
Douglas Jackson remained closely involved throughout the process.
This included:
- In-person longlist reviews
- Detailed candidate assessment
- Attendance at panel interviews
- Ongoing advice around role positioning and market response
- Support throughout the final decision-making process
The approach gave FYLD continuous access to market insight rather than simply receiving a shortlist at the end of the assignment.
Outcome
The search concluded successfully, on time and within budget.
FYLD appointed a senior VP who met and exceeded the original brief.
Significantly, the breadth and quality of talent uncovered through the search also led the business to create an additional role in order to capture further expertise identified during the process.
The appointment strengthened FYLD’s leadership capability and supported its ambition to increase market penetration and continue scaling its field service technology proposition.
What This Demonstrates
This search demonstrates the importance of leadership capability in investor-backed growth businesses.
The role was not simply about selling more technology.
FYLD required a leader capable of operating at the intersection of:
- Utilities
- Technology
- Digital transformation
- Commercial growth
- Senior stakeholder influence
- Investor-backed scale
By challenging the original brief and widening the market, the search created more value than a single appointment.
It uncovered enough relevant leadership capability for the organisation to make a second hire, a strong indication that effective Executive Search can shape organisational capability as well as fill an individual role.
Scaling Leadership in Utilities & Infrastructure Technology?
Douglas Jackson works with investor-backed and high-growth Utilities and Infrastructure businesses appointing senior leaders across Commercial, Operations, Customer, Transformation, Strategy, Data and Technology.
We help organisations identify leaders who can operate credibly within complex sector environments while delivering growth, adoption and transformation.
Talk to us about your next Utilities or investor-backed leadership appointment →
