Finding the right commercial leader for an established optical equipment business

With its sights set on the next phase of growth, Mainline Instruments wanted to strengthen its existing leadership team with an experienced Executive Commercial Director. FMC Talent helped them find the right person in just eight weeks.

Mainline Instruments has been providing best-in-class optical instruments and equipment to the eye care industry for decades, helping clinicians across the UK to deliver efficient, accurate diagnostics to patients. 

We’ve been working with Mainline for a number of years on their industry specific hiring in the UK, building a strong relationship with their leadership team along the way. 

So when they looked towards their next phase of growth and identified an opportunity to strengthen their commercial leadership team further, they came to us to help them do just that.

What was the brief?

Mainline already had a well-established and experienced leadership team but, as they looked ahead at their growth plans, they saw an opportunity to make it even stronger by hiring an Executive Commercial Director.

This role was a true strategic leadership position. The right person would sit alongside the existing team and take ownership of commercial performance and P&L across key parts of the business, including their capital equipment portfolio. 

To get this right, Mainline needed someone who could come into an established business, earn the trust of the existing team, and bring the experience needed to identify new growth opportunities and help them to scale for the future. 

Oh, and they needed to have the right optical background too. The credibility to operate at a senior level within the industry was key to the success of this hire.
 

So what did FMC do?

Having worked with Mainline closely before, we already got their culture, values, and what tends to make someone successful there. This gave us a strong starting point, but for a leadership appointment of this importance the search had to be thorough. 
 
We set out to map the ophthalmology market - as well as some aligned medical technology players - to understand where the strongest potential candidates were sitting. From that, we shared our 'top eight' with Mainline. These were the people we felt had the strongest blend of commercial experience, understanding of the market, and cultural fit with the team. 
 
Then we got under the CV. 
 
We approached each person and conducted our own deep-dive interviews, before deciding with the Mainline team who should progress. They ultimately interviewed five of our candidates, but one quickly stood out…
 

What was the outcome?

After the first round of interviews, we had a standout. 
 
Their experience (including nearly three decades in the optical world!) matched what the business needed exactly. Just as importantly, there was a clear fit with Mainline's values and the way the team wanted this person to lead both now and for the future. This great match meant we were able to move things along at a solid pace, quickly arranging a final face-to-face meeting, and ultimately offering them the role. 
 
There was no room for 'nearly right' with this hire, which is why we're so chuffed that we found exactly the right fit for this Executive Commercial Director role. A focused market map, highly selective shortlist and close partnership throughout the process meant our client could make the appointment with confidence.
 
And the best bit? Signed and sealed in just 8 weeks.