The Challenge
A global commercial strategy and pricing consulting firm engaged Burwood Partners to help expand its Transactions Advisory practice in the Netherlands. Reporting to the Partner leading the practice, the firm required a Director-level specialist in Commercial Due Diligence (CDD) who could both drive client engagements and take a leadership role in scaling the business.
The search presented significant challenges:
• The CDD market in the Netherlands is extremely small, with few specialists operating in this niche.
• Market conditions in 2023 and 2024 had driven many CDD professionals to pivot into other areas, making talent even scarcer.
• The ideal candidate needed to speak Dutch, have deep CDD expertise, and possess the commercial acumen required to drive business growth.
Finding someone with this unique skill set in a constrained market required an innovative and internationally focused approach.
Our Approach
Applying our 3D Search Methodology, we conducted an exhaustive market analysis to identify professionals with deep expertise in Commercial Due Diligence while also possessing the language skills and leadership capabilities essential for the role.
Diligence: We mapped the Dutch CDD market extensively, identifying professionals within the few firms specializing in this niche. When the initial search yielded limited results, we broadened our scope to adjacent consulting areas to uncover hidden talent.
Design: After evaluating the talent pool, we refined our approach by expanding the search beyond the Netherlands to Belgium, the UK, and other European markets, targeting Dutch-speaking professionals working abroad with a desire to return home.
Delivery: We leveraged our global network to engage with candidates in key financial hubs like London and Singapore, ensuring we could bring the highest-caliber talent to the table. After an extensive vetting process, we delivered a shortlist of five high-quality candidates.
The Results
The client successfully hired a Dutch national based in Singapore, who had deep Commercial Due Diligence expertise and was looking to return to the Netherlands for personal reasons.
By expanding the search beyond traditional boundaries, Burwood Partners demonstrated its unwavering commitment to delivering the right solution, even in a highly constrained market.
The new hire is now positioned to help grow the Transactions Advisory practice, bringing both technical expertise and commercial skills to support the firm’s expansion.
This search highlights Burwood Partners’ ability to navigate complex talent challenges, leveraging an international network and strategic approach to secure the best possible outcome for our clients.
For advice on how our M&A and Transactions team can support your business to secure the best leadership talent to drive growth in our your business please reach out to us at contact@burwoodpartners.com
