FMCG executive search for food, drink, household and consumer goods businesses. Retained, research-led, shortlists in eight weeks. Established 1988.
Oryx provides FMCG executive search for food and drink producers, household and personal care manufacturers, private label suppliers and branded consumer goods businesses selling through grocery, convenience, discount and e-commerce channels. Leadership hiring in this market is governed by a particular set of pressures: retailer negotiation and margin defence, promotional strategy, own-label competition, input cost volatility, and the operational discipline required to run high-volume manufacturing to supermarket service levels. We search accordingly, targeting commercial, category, marketing, supply chain and manufacturing operations leaders who have delivered against those pressures with a named account or brand. Our wider consumer sector work includes brands such as Timex and Hunter Douglas. Our coverage extends across ambient, chilled and frozen food, beverages including soft drinks and alcohol, household and personal care, pet care, and the contract manufacturing and packaging businesses that supply them.
Retained by manufacturers, brand owners and retailers who cannot afford a miss
Finsbury Food Group is a major UK-based specialty bakery manufacturer that produces cakes, bread, and morning goods for major supermarkets, retail brands, and the hospitality sector. They operate multiple baking facilities across the UK and Europe. Oryx has handled a range of manufacturing and site leads across the UK
Hunter Douglas is one of the largest window coverings companies in the world with many recognisable brands including Hillarys and Luxaflex. Having previously recruited a new MD for Luxaflex and two senior roles in procurement and supply chain for Hillarys Blinds, Oryx was asked to recruit a Global FP&A Manager for the group. This hire came after Hunter Douglas had been acquired by 3G Capital and was part of the strategy to improve integration, create efficiencies and reduce cost across the world.
As the consequence of a strong and successful relationship with the Group’s owners – and working closely with the Chairman and Board – Oryx undertook the complex and challenging task of recruiting a new CEO to spearhead the reinvigoration and rejuvenation of this iconic brand. Based in the US with global responsibility for a range of subsidiary brands and businesses, there was a very clear desire to recruit a different profile of CEO; somebody from outside the network of the typical Manhattan-based headhunters, somebody who could really connect with the brand and work with the Board to deliver long-term, sustainable growth in an incredibly challenging market. We conducted an extensive, worldwide search, investigating global businesses with a strong brand heritage and similarly complex routes to market. The result was the appointment of Tobias Reiss-Schmidt, a German national living in the US, who joined Timex with an incredibly strong background in consumer brands such as Adidas and Rockport. Tobias has made a huge impact on the business already, refining its product range, developing its retail offering and delivering growth across all its divisions. The thoroughness of our research, and the strength of the candidates we were able to attract, led to the subsequent appointment of a Group VP of Advanced Concepts, who is now leading Timex’s development of new, innovative designs and wearable technology.
As an FMCG headhunter, Oryx runs a retained, research-led process rather than circulating a brief. Our in-house research team maps the relevant competitor set, private label suppliers and adjacent categories, then approaches individuals directly and in confidence, which is how we reach people who are performing well and have no reason to answer an advertisement. The firm was founded in 1988 and is employee-owned, and our consultants typically stay for over a decade, so clients deal with the same people across successive hires. Each assignment produces a pre-qualified shortlist within eight weeks, supported by weekly auditable reporting, structured interviews and optional psychometric assessment. Our FMCG recruiters also deliver standalone talent mapping and salary benchmarking for teams planning a restructure or a new category entry. We work with branded groups defending an established position and with challenger businesses scaling into national distribution for the first time, and searches commonly span commercial leadership, category management, manufacturing operations and route to market.
Rebecca Ross
Director
26 years with Oryx
Nic Davis
Senior Consultant
11 years with Oryx
Colette Brown
Director
27 years with Oryx
Alex Mitchell
Director
26 years with Oryx
Will Strange
Director
28 years with Oryx
Gemma Killin
Senior Research Manager
12 years with Oryx
Phil Moran
Managing Director
37 years with Oryx
Jon Badger
Senior Research Manager
22 years with Oryx
Alec Berry
Senior Research manager
14 years with Oryx
