Case Study: Strengthening Engineering Leadership in a Scaling Technology Business
Strengthening Engineering Leadership in a Scaling Technology Business
The Situation
Insensys is a specialist engineering business operating at the intersection of advanced sensing technology and high-growth global markets, including wind energy, aerospace and industrial applications.
Following a sustained period of growth, more than doubling revenue, expanding facilities, and increasing headcount, the business reached a natural inflection point. The next phase required not just continued innovation, but stronger, more structured engineering leadership.
Why This Mattered Commercially
This hire sat directly on the critical path to delivering Insensys’ growth strategy. The Engineering Director needed to operate as both a technical authority and strategic leader to support expansion, innovation, and long-term value creation.
Key risks included:
- Scaling without leadership infrastructure, leading to slower decision-making and unclear accountability
- Imbalance between technical depth and leadership capability
- Execution risk in translating innovation into commercial success
- Limited strategic input from engineering at Board level
Our Approach
We worked closely with the leadership team to define success in the context of growth, focusing on leadership capability, technical credibility, and long-term business needs rather than just the job description.
A targeted search identified individuals capable of leading multidisciplinary engineering teams, contributing to product development and technical roadmap decisions, and operating effectively in a scaling SME environment.
The shortlist was presented through our Executive DNA platform, combining behavioural profiling, introductory videos, CVs, and interview insights to enable an informed and structured decision-making process.
The Outcome
An Engineering Director was successfully appointed who balanced technical authority with leadership capability, strengthening the organisation’s ability to scale and innovate.
The appointment delivered clearer leadership across engineering, improved technical decision-making, and stronger alignment between product development and commercial objectives, positioning Insensys for continued growth.
I have worked with Executive Heads, and Craig in particular, for over three years across both my current and previous roles. I have always found him to be highly professional and genuinely committed to partnering with the organisation. I especially value the recruitment platform, which is informative, user‑friendly, and significantly streamlines my responsibilities as a hiring manager. Craig maintains a strong understanding of the local market and consistently goes above and beyond in his support.
Mel Baker, HR Director
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