Case Study: Finding The Right Leader

The Situation: A High-Stakes Tax Leadership Hire in a Lean Structure

A US-headquartered real estate investment manager was looking to hire a European Head of Tax to support its expanding operations across multiple jurisdictions. However, the firm had a lean, decentralized structure, meaning the new hire would need to operate with a high degree of independence.

Unlike other large real estate manager, this organisation had a very lean in-house team and relied heavily on external advisors, requiring a leader who could take a strategic and commercial approach to tax risk.

The Challenge: Finding a Candidate with the Right Balance of Expertise and Autonomy

• The ideal candidate needed deep tax knowledge across multiple European jurisdictions while being comfortable working in a small, agile organisation.
• The role required commerciality and judgement —the new hire would need to know when to escalate issues and when to make independent tax decisions.
• The firm had received applications from highly experienced professionals, but many were accustomed to more institutional environments and struggled with the level of autonomy required.

Our Approach: Defining the Key Leadership Attributes

1. Clarifying Essential Skills: We worked with the European CFO to identify the critical leadership traits, beyond just tax technical.
2. Screening for Adaptability: We evaluated candidates not just on expertise, but on decision-making ability and past experience working in lean structures.
3. Narrowing the Shortlist: We identified a select group of candidates with the right combination of expertise, independence, and commercial judgement.
4. Guiding the Selection Process: We facilitated structured interviews with the firm’s global leadership team, assessing their ability to operate autonomously.

The Outcome: A Strategic Hire with Long-Term Impact

• The firm successfully appointed a European Head of Tax who was able to operate effectively in a lean, decentralized environment.
• The new hire enhanced the firm’s tax structuring capabilities without requiring additional internal hires.
• By focusing on leadership qualities in addition to technical skills, we secured a candidate who was a long-term fit for the organisation’s culture and operational model.