Plum Gas Solutions ("Plum" or the "Company") is a leading manufacturer of specialized, proprietary equipment for the oil & gas and power generation industry currently serving the US and Canada markets. The Company is headquartered in Calgary, AB with design, engineering, and manufacturing operations located in Drayton Valley, approximately 1.5 hours from Edmonton.
Plum was acquired in December 2023 by Simon Group Holdings ("SGH"), a US based family office established in 1985 and owned by Sam Simon. SGH has diverse business interests, including energy solutions, logistics and transportation, technology incubation, fuel supply, real estate, aerospace and defense, oil field services, private equity, and insurance solutions.
Plum seeks a dynamic and experienced Global Head of Sales to lead their sales teams, drive strategic vision, and target global market expansion.
THE OPPORTUNITY
LHH Knightsbridge has been retained to identify and recruit a seasoned executive with strong leadership capabilities and a proven ability to lead the commercial strategy and sales function for an organization experiencing rapid growth with ambitions to grow globally, outside of North America. The successful candidate will bring a high level of energy, passion for growth, and the character to always "do the right thing.
The ideal candidate possesses a strong business development and commercial sales background in B2B, with technical competencies in Plum's product offering and target markets. The Global Head of Sales will embrace an entrepreneurial fast-paced culture, is hands-on, and can lead commercial strategy with P&L responsibility. Core competencies in the areas of people leadership, technical knowledge, business development, commercial strategy in a global context, and P&L oversight are critical to the success of this role.
This executive role will report directly to the CEO and founder of Simon Group Holdings, Sam Simon. We are looking for an outstanding leader with the personal drive and vision to take the Company to the next level.
KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
The successful candidate will be a commercially minded business leader with technical proficiency and experience in leading strategic initiatives to drive global growth. Specifically, the Global Head of Sales will be responsible for the following:
Commercial Strategy: Set the overall global sales strategies aligned with the Company's strategic plan. Identify and close new market opportunities to expand the Company's global presence. Analyze market trends and competitor activities to inform strategy.
Leadership: Lead a team of sales professionals located in Canada and the US. Creating and sustaining a high-performance culture that works collaboratively to make decisions, integrating new ideas, and delivering exceptional products and services to our customers.
Customer Relations: Lead relationship contact and client executive for key customer accounts. Build and maintain relationships with key global clients and partners. Negotiate sales contracts and agreements. Ensure delivery of exceptional customer service across multiple regions.
Performance Management: Responsible for commercial KPIs such as sales and profitability metrics, sales budgeting and forecasting, developing new market opportunities, sales channel diversification, and asset utilization.
Strategic Planning and Execution: Develop and implement the Company's strategic plans in conjunction with the leadership team and ownership group to drive growth. Focus on improving the strategic positioning of our products and services and ability to win new business. Diversifying the business model beyond oil & gas and targeting high growth areas such as data center power generation.
CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
The Global Head of Sales will be a uniquely talented, business-oriented executive who has demonstrated the ability to be hands-on and create significant value in a customer-focused B2B manufacturing business. More specifically, the successful candidate will possess the following experience and qualifications:
Successful track record of a commercial background and leadership experience in the manufacturing sector, preferably oil & gas and power generation segments. Technical knowledge of natural gas equipment and industry expertise is preferable.
Growth mindset and creating business opportunities to add revenue.
Track record as an agent of change, who has established customer-centric and efficiency-minded teams that are leading their customers, and the market, through collaborative partnerships.
Excellent communication, relationship building and leadership skills with an ability to evaluate the organization and its talent. This includes tracking key details from major priorities and prompt follow-up from meetings.
A proven relationship builder that has experience and contacts with energy and power generation suppliers, and other stakeholders in the energy industry.
Willingness to work closely with an entrepreneurial owner with 30+ years of industry experience.
KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
The successful candidate will need to possess the following critical qualities and capabilities:
Leadership Style:Big egos and "silo" mentalities do not fit within the organization. This individual must be as comfortable interacting with field technicians as he/she is with senior executives. The ability to listen to colleagues as well as customers will be a key attribute to success in this role. The successful candidate must possess a strong customer focus and service mentality and be able to "connect" with customers at all levels.
Commercial Acumen: The Global Head of Sales will possess strong business and financial acumen with an understanding of how to use metrics to make decisions and drive results. The successful candidate will require a strong commercial and strategic background and can make informed decisions with a collaborative style.
Collaborative Leadership Style: The successful candidate will be a confident, collaborative leader who recognizes that how things get done is just as important as what gets done. He/she will proactively work with and collaboratively engage with individuals and groups across the Company and be more focused on ensuring that the right things get done, rather than worrying about who will get credit for things done.
Entrepreneur/Passion for the Business: The ability to act with a sense of urgency recognizing that all customers, no matter how big or how small, are important. As a close-knit senior leadership team, Plum's leaders are expected to wear multiple hats, and roll up their sleeves wherever possible to achieve the mission of delivering outstanding service and responsiveness to client needs.
EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL ACCREDITATIONS CONTACT INFORMATION
Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration or a related field
10+ years of experience in a sales leadership role
15+ years' experience in the manufacturing sector
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you are interested in learning more about this exciting leadership opportunity, please contact a member of our team:
Bruce Diemert, Partner bruce.diemert@lhhknightsbridge.com
ABOUT LHH KNIGHTSBRIDGE - www.lhhknightsbridge.com
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