Securing a Water Infrastructure Head for New Office Launch

Key takeaways

• Senior leadership placement enabled a major U.S. water infrastructure company to open a new regional office
• Five shortlisted qualified candidates presented, with three progressing to interview
• eight weeks from brief to securing the appointment

The challenge

A leading U.S. water treatment infrastructure company wanted to expand its presence into a new regional market as part of its growth strategy. 

Although they had strong national credibility and a reputation for delivering innovative water infrastructure projects, they had no existing presence in the target location, creating a significant barrier to entry. Without an office or current projects in the area, the company was struggling to attract the senior leadership talent required to establish and grow operations.

The business needed a regional leader with both strong water sector expertise and connections in the area who could launch a new office, develop relationships in the local infrastructure market, and secure early project opportunities. 

Despite internal efforts, the company were unable to find candidates who met the combination of leadership experience, technical credibility, and local knowledge required for the role. Having previously worked with LVI Associates on several successful searches across the country, they returned to us to support this critical appointment.

The solution

LVI Associates conducted a focused search targeting experienced water infrastructure leaders based in the region.

Through our long-standing relationship with the client, we were able to clearly communicate the company’s growth plans, project pipeline, and long-term opportunity to potential candidates. This allowed us to introduce the role to senior professionals in our network who were not actively seeking new positions but were open to the right strategic opportunity.

Alongside candidate identification, we worked closely with the client to shape how the role and opportunity were presented in the market, highlighting the chance to lead a new regional operation and play a key role in the company’s expansion.

We quickly identified five local individuals with highly relevant experience and the relationships required, and three progressed to interview.

The results

Within eight weeks of launching the search, we secured the appointment of a local business leader to establish the company’s new office.

The selected candidate brought strong sector expertise and local market credibility, allowing the organization to quickly establish a presence in the region and begin developing new project opportunities.

The candidate remains successfully in role, and the strengthened relationship has since led to additional hiring mandates between the client and LVI Associates.

Summary

Expanding into new markets within the water infrastructure sector requires more than technical expertise. Organizations must secure leaders who understand local markets, have established industry relationships, and can build reputation quickly.

LVI Associates works closely with water organizations to solve complex hiring challenges in highly specialized markets. Our consultants combine sector expertise with long-standing relationships to connect companies with professionals who can drive meaningful impact and long-term growth.