Behind the Hire: Managing Director – New York
Hiring a senior leader for a multi-location hospitality business is about more than just finding someone who has run operations before. It is about identifying a leader who can balance strategic vision with the operational discipline needed to run a complex, people-driven business, and who understands the soul of the brand they are joining.
When our team was briefed on this opportunity, we already understood the client’s DNA: a beloved neighborhood café group with multiple locations across New York City and a central bakery production facility. We knew their values, their community-driven ethos, and the fact that they wanted a Managing Director who could preserve that spirit while introducing the systems, structure, and commercial rigour to scale.
This was not a role for someone looking to simply “maintain” a business but it required a leader with the operational depth to oversee front-of-house, back-of-house, bakery production, HR, finance, and marketing, as well as the strategic confidence to shape the next chapter in partnership with the founders.
The successful candidate came from the passive market. Based in New York, she had extensive multi-unit hospitality experience, a deep understanding of bakery and café operations, and a proven ability to develop high-performing teams. She was not actively seeking a move, but we saw the alignment immediately; her leadership style was collaborative, decisive, and deeply people-focused, making her an ideal fit for a business that sees its team and its guests as its greatest assets.
Through a series of thoughtful conversations, we helped both sides see the potential. The founders recognized her ability to scale systems without losing the brand’s warmth and authenticity, and she saw an opportunity to take on a career-defining role with a business she genuinely admired.
For us, this is what recruitment at its best looks like: understanding not only the technical demands of a role but also the cultural and human dimensions that will make the hire a long-term success.