The Client
Our client, a leader in laboratory testing and regulatory consulting for a broad spectrum of over-the-counter items, partners with its customers to deliver innovative scientific solutions to ensure consumers can trust their products. Their network of 30+ North American and European laboratories serves the food & beverage, dietary supplements, cosmetics, OTC, tobacco/nicotine, cannabis, and hemp industries.
The Challenge
Following the appointment of a new Chief People Officer (CPO), the company embarked on an ambitious plan to elevate key areas of the business to meet near- and mid-term strategic and financial objectives. The CPO identified a need to strengthen her leadership team with seasoned HR professionals who could drive transformation, operational excellence, and long-term scalability.
She engaged the Head of Boyden’s Human Resources Practice to partner with her on two critical assignments:
- Vice President, Human Resources – This individual would serve as the HR partner to the leader of the company’s largest division and act as second-in-command to the CPO, collaborating on strategic HR initiatives across the enterprise. The role required a dynamic leader who could balance strategic vision with hands-on execution, model leadership excellence, and demonstrate a strong bias for action.
- Head of Talent Acquisition – The company faced high turnover within its lab network and lagging time-to-fill metrics. The CPO required a talent acquisition leader who could modernize the recruitment process, improve efficiency and performance metrics, improve sourcing, and personally manage senior-level search needs. The ideal candidate needed to combine strategic process redesign with direct execution capability.
The Solution
For the Vice President, Human Resources role, Boyden identified a senior HR business leader who met all technical and cultural requirements and demonstrated strong succession potential for the CPO role. After a national search, the selected candidate was found in the desired geographic area and brought valuable industry-relevant experience.
For the Head of Talent Acquisition role, we identified a proven recruitment leader known for their capacity, results orientation, and ability to inspire high-performing teams. The selected candidate possessed both the strategic acumen and hands-on experience to elevate the company’s recruiting function while driving measurable improvement across key performance indicators.
The Results
The Chief People Officer reports that the new Vice President of Human Resources has become her “right arm,” providing seamless collaboration on organizational initiatives and serving as a trusted advisor and proxy when needed. The VP HR has also built strong credibility with divisional leadership, positioning HR as a critical partner in achieving business objectives.
The Head of Talent Acquisition has transformed the company’s recruitment function, significantly improving all key metrics and reducing time-to-fill rates. The CEO has commented to the CPO about her work ethic and the results she’s achieving, recognizing that getting qualified talent in the door more quickly direct impacts the business. She has proven to be exceptional in all dimensions of her responsibility.
The Impact
These two placements have had a lasting effect on the organization’s human capital strategy. Together, they have advanced the CPO’s vision of a high-performing HR function that contributes meaningfully to both employee engagement and business results. The collaboration between Boyden and the CPO continues to exemplify how targeted leadership appointments can accelerate enterprise transformation and create measurable value.
“As I stepped into my first Chief Human Resources Officer role within a private equity–backed environment, I knew that building the right leadership team would be critical to our ability to drive outcomes. Diane partnered closely with me to identify leaders who not only met our immediate needs but also had the capability to elevate the function and attract additional strong talent into the organization. The result has been a return on investment that continues to multiply ten-fold.”
– Company CHRO
