Retail & Consumer Goods Executive Search
Confidential, research-led search for the C-suite, general management and senior commercial leaders who will take your brand or retail business forward.
What retail executive search covers at SundryHall
A senior hire in retail or consumer goods rarely fails because of what was on the resume. It fails because the candidate did not understand margin pressure, seasonality, channel conflict, or the speed at which consumer-facing businesses have to move. Generalist recruiters often miss those signals entirely, because they have never worked a category review or lived through a promotional cycle. At SundryHall, executive search in this industry is all we do, and that focus shapes every search we run.
We connect consumer goods and retail businesses with the people who drive them. Our professional search practice serves brands, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers across the United States, filling leadership roles across commercial, operational, and corporate functions. Every engagement is built on deep industry knowledge, an established network of retail talent, and a structured search process, so the shortlist you receive is one you can genuinely act on rather than a screening exercise you still have to finish yourself.
Retail executive search is the professional identification, approach, and placement of senior leaders for businesses that sell to consumers. It differs from standard talent acquisition in both method and stakes. The candidates you need are rarely active on job boards, the cost of a wrong hire at this level is measured in lost quarters and damaged teams, and the search itself often has to run in confidence while an incumbent remains in the role. Those conditions demand a search firm that already knows the industry, not one learning it on your timeline.
Our scope covers C-suite and senior leadership appointments: chief executives, commercial and sales directors, marketing and brand leaders, category and buying heads, and supply chain executives. We also handle senior appointments across merchandising, operations, finance, human resources, and technology. Each search begins with a precise definition of what success in the role looks like inside your business, built from your commercial model and team structure, rather than a generic job description recycled from a competitor's posting.
The deliverables are practical. In every engagement you receive:
- A scoped role specification agreed with you before any approach is made
- A mapped view of the relevant talent pool, including competitors and adjacent categories
- A vetted shortlist of qualified candidates, with written assessment against the agreed criteria
- Structured interview support for your panel
- Hands-on offer management through to acceptance and start date
Post-placement follow-up is built into every engagement, because a successful placement is measured by what the hire delivers months after the start date, not by the signature on an offer letter.
Sectors we cover
The selection below reflects where our CPG executive search work is concentrated. It is not exhaustive, so if your sub-sector is not shown, get in touch and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right firm for the role.
FMCG and food & beverage
We place senior commercial, supply chain, and operations leaders with CPG manufacturers and brands operating at grocery and mass-market pace, where promotional calendars and retailer relationships shape the leadership brief. Typical mandates include sales directors who own national account relationships, supply chain leaders managing cost and service pressure across co-manufacturing networks, and general managers accountable for category P&L.
Beauty and personal care
Our consultants understand the brand-led, launch-driven rhythms of beauty businesses and the leadership profiles that thrive when product cycles and consumer trends move quickly. We recruit across marketing, brand, product development, and commercial leadership for prestige, masstige, and indie brands, as well as the contract manufacturers that supply them.
Fashion and apparel
We recruit executives across buying, merchandising, and retail operations for labels balancing seasonal cycles with channel expansion. That includes leaders who can hold margin through markdown pressure, build sourcing and sustainability capability, and connect wholesale, concession, and owned-channel performance.
E-Commerce and D2C
We help direct-to-consumer brands hire leaders who can scale and grow without losing control of unit economics as acquisition costs and fulfillment demands rise. Searches here often cover growth and performance marketing, digital product, CRM and retention, and the operations leadership that keeps fulfillment and customer experience reliable through peak trading.
Grocery and multi-site retail
Our work with grocery and specialty retailers covers store leadership, area management, and the headquarters functions that keep a store network trading effectively. We regularly support retail operations, format and property, buying and trading, and the people leadership required to run large, dispersed frontline teams.
How our executive search process works
Every engagement follows a disciplined, six-stage sequence, run by consultants with direct industry experience in consumer and retail businesses. The process is designed to give your leadership team visibility at every stage: you know who we are approaching, what we are hearing from the market, and how the shortlist is taking shape. Timelines, communication points, and decision milestones are agreed at the outset so there are no surprises once the search is underway.
Role scoping
We begin by working with your leadership team to define the role precisely: the outcomes it must deliver in the first twelve months, the commercial context it sits within, and the cultural fit your organization requires. This includes agreeing the reporting line, the scope of budget and team responsibility, the compensation range, and the non-negotiable experience criteria. The output is a written role specification and success profile that both sides sign off, and that becomes the benchmark every candidate is measured against later in the process.
Market mapping
We then map the retail talent pool across your sub-sector, identifying candidates inside competitor organizations and adjacent CPG businesses. Mapping typically extends beyond the obvious direct competitors into adjacent channels (grocery, e-commerce, wholesale, and branded consumer goods) where the required skill set transfers. You receive a view of the market as it genuinely exists, including an honest assessment of where the strongest talent sits, how it is likely to be compensated, and any gaps between the specification and what the market can realistically supply.
Discreet approach
Our executive recruiters approach prospects directly and confidentially, representing your brand with the care a senior approach demands. Senior candidates are almost always in the role and not actively looking, so the first conversation matters: it is handled by a consultant who understands the sector and can speak credibly about the opportunity. Confidentiality runs both ways. Your search can remain unnamed until a candidate is seriously engaged, and every prospect's interest is protected throughout.
Assessment and shortlist
We screen and interview candidates against the success criteria agreed in scoping, then present a focused shortlist with our written assessment of each individual. Each profile sets out relevant track record, evidence against the success profile, motivation for moving, compensation expectations, and our view of risk as well as strength. We present a small number of genuinely viable candidates rather than a long list, and we talk you through the trade-offs so interview time is spent where it counts. We also support the interview process itself, gathering structured feedback after each stage and arranging references at the appropriate point.
Offer and close
We manage negotiation and offer logistics, keeping both sides aligned through to a signed acceptance. That means testing expectations on compensation, notice period, and start date well before an offer is made, so the final conversation holds no surprises. Counter-offers are common at this level; we prepare candidates for them in advance and stay close through the resignation period to protect the appointment.
Aftercare
We stay in contact after placement to support onboarding and confirm the appointment is delivering as intended. We check in with both the new hire and the hiring manager at agreed intervals through the first months in the role, so any early issues surface while they are still easy to resolve. These conversations also tell us what worked in the search and what to refine for the next one.
Industry expertise behind our placements
The strongest reason clients stay with us is sector depth. Our consultants bring a deep understanding of consumer and retail business models from the inside, covering promotional calendars, retailer negotiations, seasonal planning, and the operational realities of CPG manufacturing and distribution. That industry expertise changes the quality of the search in two concrete ways: we can test candidates on the commercial situations they will actually face, and we can judge which track records will translate into your environment. It also shows in the size of the shortlist, which we deliberately keep tight. We would rather present four candidates you would genuinely hire than ten who fill a spreadsheet and put the filtering work back on you.
Our candidate relationships are long-standing. Many of the executives we place are people we have known for years, which gives us a grounded view of their proven track record and leadership style before a résumé ever reaches your desk. Combined with talent mapping and market intelligence on competitor organizations, that means we can tell you early who is realistically available, what it will take to attract them, and where your offer sits against the wider market through our salary benchmarking work.
Discretion is standard. Senior and confidential searches are handled quietly, with communication kept transparent on your side of the process at all times. We work on contingent, retained, or exclusive terms depending on the seniority and sensitivity of the mandate, and we advise on which structure best fits the role rather than defaulting to whichever suits us. Our aim on every mandate is simple: provide outstanding service, deliver successful placements, and earn the next brief from the quality of this one.
Engagement conditions
Our CPG executive search and broader executive recruitment practice focuses exclusively on senior, managerial, and executive-level appointments. We do not handle entry-level, staff-level, or junior hiring, and we do not place temporary or contract staff. That boundary is deliberate: it keeps our network concentrated on the leadership profiles our clients hire, and it ensures every mandate receives the attention of a senior consultant rather than being passed down a delivery chain.
Engagements typically begin with a briefing call and a written role specification covering the scope, reporting lines, compensation range, and the commercial outcomes the appointment is expected to deliver. Once that specification is agreed, we confirm terms, timelines, and a reporting rhythm that suits your hiring team.
Throughout the search you receive regular progress updates against the milestones set at the outset: market mapping, longlist review, candidate interviews, shortlist presentation, and offer management. We work on a defined number of mandates at any one time so that each search keeps the pace and depth of coverage agreed at briefing.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a typical executive search take?
Timelines vary by seniority and sub-sector, but a well-scoped search usually moves from briefing to shortlist within a few weeks. The scoping conversation, market mapping, and first approaches tend to account for the early part of that window, with interviews and references following once a shortlist is agreed. We set realistic milestones at the outset and report against them throughout, so you always know exactly where the search stands and what happens next.
Do you work on retained or contingent terms?
Both, depending on the mandate. Confidential and C-suite searches generally suit a retained structure, where dedicated resource, discretion, and a committed research effort are built in from day one. Other senior leadership roles can run on contingent or exclusive terms. We will recommend the structure that genuinely fits the brief rather than defaulting to one model, and we agree terms in writing before any approach is made.
How do you assess cultural fit?
We invest time at the scoping stage understanding your company culture, leadership style, and team dynamics, then assess candidates against those criteria alongside technical capability. Structured interviews, competency-based questioning, and referencing all test the same criteria, so the picture you receive is consistent. That means fewer surprises at final interview and a stronger chance the appointment holds well beyond the first year.
What geographic coverage do you offer?
We recruit across the United States, with offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Marlborough, Massachusetts; Parsippany, New Jersey; and Cheyenne, Wyoming. That footprint lets us support searches nationally, whether the role is based in one of those markets, somewhere else in the country, or operating on a remote or hybrid basis.
Start your search
If you are hiring for a senior role in retail or consumer goods, talk to the retail executive recruiters who know your market. Call us at +1 888-202-9809 or email [email protected] to discuss your mandate in confidence.
Every conversation starts the same way: we listen to what the role actually needs to deliver, how the team around it is built, and what success looks like twelve months in. From there we will give you a straight answer on whether we are the right partner for the search, and if we are, a clear plan covering the shortlist timeline, the market map we will work from, and how we will keep you informed at every stage.
If we are not the right fit, we will say so and, where we can, point you toward someone better placed to help. Either way, the conversation is confidential and there is no obligation.
Brief us on the role you need to fill
Tell us about the position, the location and the timeline. A consultant who works your sector will follow up to talk through how we would run the search.