Founding CEO Appointment Launches New PE-Backed Platform

Building Leadership from the Ground Up in Luxembourg’s Fund Services Market

Background

A leading European mid-market private equity sponsor approached Greenfield at the earliest stage of a new investment thesis focused on entering Luxembourg’s fund and corporate services sector.

At the time, the business didn’t exist, only the vision did. The sponsor required a founding CEO to lead the platform, but the appointment was contingent on the successful closing of its first acquisition. This created a classic “chicken-and-egg” scenario: the right leader was essential to de-risk the investment, but the platform didn’t yet exist to attract them.

Greenfield was engaged to shape the search strategy from concept to execution.

Challenge

This was a uniquely complex and high-stakes brief. There was no defined job specification, no operational business, and no market positioning to leverage. The CEO would need to navigate post-acquisition integration, build organisational culture from the ground up, and drive growth in an evolving regulatory environment. The investor required not only full access to the market, but a trusted partner who could co-create the profile, pressure-test assumptions, and deliver with absolute confidence.

Solution

Greenfield designed and delivered a retained search process tailored to this high-ambiguity mandate. Our approach included:

Co-creating the leadership profile in close partnership with the sponsor, aligned to investor vision, future strategy, and risk appetite
Modelling multiple candidate personas and market-testing them for fit and credibility
Mapping the executive landscape across Luxembourg and the wider region
Curating a longlist of 12+ strategically aligned leaders from a wider talent pool of over 100 candidates
Presenting two highly appointable finalists with vision, alignment, and executive presence

Throughout, we served as recruiters and as strategic advisors. Our insight and expertise was crucial in guiding processes, aligning stakeholders, and maintaining momentum through a commercially sensitive timeline.

Outcome

The appointed CEO, chosen for their sector credibility, leadership track record, and alignment with the sponsor’s vision, has since assumed leadership of the platform and successfully integrated its first acquisition. This appointment gave the board the assurance it needed to proceed, validating both the leadership decision and the search process behind it.

Key Results

Founding CEO appointed pre-acquisition to de-risk investment
Market mapping and shortlist delivered under high time pressure
Platform launched with executive leadership aligned to investor vision
Ongoing partnership for CFO and Corporate Development leadership mandates

Building your leadership team from the ground up? Partner with Greenfield for insight-led executive search that turns vision into value.