How Boyden helped a €200 million hearing protection company appoint a Country Manager to drive growth across France, Spain, Italy, and Greece.
Founded in the Netherlands in 1994, our client pioneered consumer hearing protection by offering reusable, filtered earplugs to the general public. Its award-winning product portfolio includes solutions for sleep, music, travel, and baby hearing protection.
Today, the company is present in more than 10,000 retail locations worldwide and at major international events, including Formula 1, MotoGP, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and leading music festivals. Protecting more than 1.3 million sets of ears annually, the company is a certified B Corp and Great Place to Work, supported by a strategic investment partner.
With a strong foundation in France across specialist retail channels, including sports, baby, and music, the company sought to expand across Southern Europe and strengthen its pharmacy presence to drive market share and profitable growth.
It was seeking a Country Manager France & Southern Europe to strengthen its presence in OTC retail, pharmacy while building a world-class team capable of delivering sustainable, profitable growth. The mandate was to develop strategic partnerships and establish the company as the premium category leader across Southern Europe, one of its highest-potential growth regions.
The successful candidate needed to combine strong commercial leadership with deep knowledge of pharmacy and KOLs and stakeholders associated, while being able to work effectively across local markets and the company's Dutch headquarters.
Boyden was selected because of its understanding of Dutch business culture, extensive FMCG network, and experience recruiting leaders across pharmacy, OTC, and medical device sectors. An added advantage was our experience working with private equity-backed companies.
The search focused on identifying a proven sales and business development leader with more than ten years of experience, including significant exposure to healthcare, pharmacy, or OTC markets. The ideal candidate needed a strong KOL network within pharmacy channels in France and internationally, experience gained within leading multinational organizations, and the ability to combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution. Equally important was the ability to manage local teams while working closely with the company's Dutch headquarters.
Boyden presented six shortlisted candidates with backgrounds spanning FMCG, healthcare, and OTC sectors. Four finalists met with the CEO, and the selected candidate completed a full-day assessment at headquarters with the CEO, direct manager, and CFO.
Boyden successfully placed a Country Manager with extensive experience across FMCG and healthcare environments and a strong network within pharmacy channels.
The selected candidate brought the combination of multinational experience, commercial leadership, and entrepreneurial mindset required to support the company's next phase of growth across France and Southern Europe.
Within four months of joining, the new Country Manager had launched the company's business in Italy, a market where it previously had no presence, and recruited new team members to expand market coverage and profitable sales through pharmacy channels in France.
The company also broadened its festival and music sponsorship activities to strengthen brand visibility. Boyden continues to support both the candidate and the client throughout the onboarding period and remains a trusted partner to the local team, headquarters, and investors.
