Memstar USA

 

CHALLENGE

Memstar USA is a growing membrane manufacturer based in Conroe, Texas. Since 2005, their focus has been to expand into Europe, selling advanced membrane-based water and wastewater treatment solutions. However, like many US businesses wanting to expand into Europe, the business faced a number of hurdles.

Memstar USA had a limited number of connections within the European market. With little brand awareness, their ability to identify and attract top talent was limited. Additionally, their unfamiliarity with European salary benchmarks for sales manager positions made offering competitive compensation challenging.Accustomed to US recruitment practices, regulations, infrastructure and public-private partnerships, they lacked 
the specific knowledge and processes for hiring in Europe.

SOLUTION

Jesse Jaso, Senior Partner at Pangea Talent Solutions reached out to Memstar in 2018 to discuss a great candidate in the US. At the time, however, in line with their European focus, they requested support for hiring in Europe.

Their brief was to hire a Sales Director who could apply the business’s sales strategy in Europe, build relationships with key accounts and a superstar who could lead and manage the sales team. The ideal candidate also needed previous experience in selling membranes in the European market and would be able to bring a network of distributors and channel partners across different countries to Memstar. Jesse began actively recruiting for the Sales Director role, exclusively, with a mix of job advertisements on LinkedIn and headhunting. Jesse worked with Bhasker David, Memstar USA’s CEO to understand the specific challenges they faced regarding European expansion.

Already familiar with the European talent pool, Jesse drew upon his existing network of contacts to shortlist qualified sales manager profiles located within Europe. Recognising the importance of time and convenience for both Memstar and potential hires, Jesse arranged candidate interviews at the IFAT conference in Amsterdam in April 2018. Jesse attended each interview to support both the candidate and the client. This allowed the interviews to cover requirements from all parties, leading to quicker decision-making.

Jesse supported the hiring manager, Bhasker David, CEO, with salary surveys as well as status reports, so that they could keep track of the candidates Jesse was headhunting. Having worked in the market for eight years, Jesse was also able to advise on crafting attractive benefits packages to entice European talent. He also aided Memstar with contract finalisation, navigating the legalities and ensuring a clear, mutually beneficial contract for both parties.

RESULTS

By offering ongoing support to Memstar USA throughout the entire hiring process, a qualified Sales Manager based in Spain started the role in July 2018. This key hire, who remains with Memstar USA today, plays a pivotal role in driving their European expansion forward, and solidifying their presence in the new market. 

 

"The Pangea team provided an efficient and structured search process. From the start of the process, they took the time to understand the company, the role and plans in detail outside of the job description – this meant not only finding profiles with relevant skills but also finding the right person for the role/company.
The process was expertly controlled by Pangea right through to receiving a signed offer letter with no complications. The whole process was smooth, from beginning to end. The experience of working with Pangea Talent Solutions has been a delightful one. We look forward to a continued successful partnership with Pangea. I shall certainly be utilising the services of Pangea again."

Bhasker David, COO, Memstar USA