McDermott & Bull Selected by Armand Agra to Recruit Chief Commercial Officer
March 14, 2018 – Irvine, CA-based search firm McDermott & Bull has been retained by Armand Agra to lead its search for a chief commercial officer.
The search is being conducted by what is known as the fit practice at the recruitment firm, which includes partner Jeff Black, associate principal consultant Jason Pinegar, associate consultant Trey Mullen, executive search consultant Kelly Nguyen, as well as senior recruiting associate Shree Thakarar. The search is being conducted in partnership with Paul Gibbons, managing director of consulting firm WMC (Western Management Consultants).
The chief commercial officer will lead all aspects of the commercial business in support of Armand Agra’s long-term goal of being “the most sought-after specialty branded protein experience in North America,” said the recruiter. In addition to external customer and stakeholder management, the individual must be the internal “customer champion” for Armand Agra to ensure the voice-of-the-customer is heard and understood by internal stakeholders and thus effectively balance the needs of the customer and the needs of Armand Agra. The role of chief commercial officer, said the firm, is central to achieving this goal and vision of the future.
Headquartered in Reno, NV, Armand Agra is a third-generation family business, owned and operated by the Flocchini family and Tricor Pacific Founders Capital, a family office. The Flocchinis originally bought the business in the 1930’s as the Durham Meat Company. It is now comprised of three divisions: Sierra Meat and Seafood, Flocchini Family Provisions and Durham Ranches.
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McDermott & Bull was founded in 2001. It is the 29th largest executive search firm in the Americas, where it serves clients in the technology, financial services, manufacturing, biotech & life sciences, retail and professional services sectors. Since the advent of MB Interim Leaders in 2011, McDermott & Bull has served both the permanent and interim needs of its clients.
Mr. Black leads the firm’s fit practice. He and his team seek to enrich organizations where they serve and focus on helping companies realize “an ideal fit between executive talent and the company’s culture and values.” His clients include: Honda Center/Anaheim Ducks, Panda Restaurant Group, Oakwood Worldwide, Decurion/ArcLight Cinemas, BJ’s Restaurants, Del Taco, LA BioMed, Niagara Bottling, Santa Monica Seafood, Orange County United Way, Rubio’s Restaurants, King’s Hawaiian and Golden State Foods.
Chief Commercial Officers
The chief commercial officer is essentially responsible for the commercial strategy and the development of an organization. It typically involves activities relating to marketing , sales, product development and customer service to drive business growth and market share. As a corporate officer position, the CCO generally reports directly to the CEO and is charged with ensuring the integrated commercial success of an organization. The role typically combines technical knowledge of the relevant field with strong marketing and business development skills.
Essentially, a CCO takes ownership of the customer and the customer interface with the product or service offering, making sure that all functions of the organization are aligned to meet its strategic commercial objectives, said the search firm. This means that the role is closely linked to the organization’s strategic management function, in drafting, implementing and evaluating cross-functional decisions that will enable an organization to achieve its long-term objectives.
Turning to Search Firms
A handful of companies have turned to executive search firms in recent months to find new chief commercial officers. Here is a sampling from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
BSG Team Ventures placed Don Kelly as chief commercial officer of Onyx CenterSource in Dallas. Managing director and co-founder Clark Waterfall led the assignment. As CCO, Mr. Kelly will be responsible for overseeing the company’s go-to-market strategy, identifying growth opportunities and ensuring the integrated commercial success of the organization.
Kincannon & Reed recruited Manoj Sahoo as chief commercial officer of Calyxt Inc. He will work closely as part of Calyxt’s executive team to build a commercial partnership network, execute a go-to-market plan for the company’s products and ensure Calyxt’s integrated commercial success moving forward.
Toft Group placed Mark R. Willig as chief commercial officer of Rosetta Genomics Ltd. In this newly created position, he is responsible for sales, marketing and market access for Rosetta Genomics’ entire portfolio of high-value diagnostic assays. Most recently, Mr. Willig served as senior vice president of sales for CardioDx Inc.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
