The Hidden Timeline of Executive Hiring

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Why your next role may take longer than you think — and how to use that time strategically.

One of the most common frustrations we hear from executive candidates is this:

“Why is this process taking so long?”

Unlike mid-level hiring, executive search operates on a very different timeline — one that can feel opaque and unpredictable from the outside. But once you understand the underlying dynamics, it becomes easier to plan, remain focused, and position yourself more effectively.

Executive Hiring Is Slow — by Design

C-suite and senior leadership roles are rarely filled overnight. From internal alignment to multiple interview stages, due diligence, board approvals, and competitive benchmarking — the process is rigorous for a reason.

Most executive searches take 3–6 months from the moment a role is opened to the day an offer is signed. In many cases, that timeline extends further if the search is confidential, if internal candidates are being considered, or if the organization is navigating change at the board or investor level.

It’s not uncommon for candidates to go weeks — sometimes months — between interview stages, especially when decisions require multiple stakeholder inputs.

The Internal vs. External Candidate Reality

Many companies begin their search processes by quietly evaluating internal talent. This means external candidates are often benchmarked rather than immediately prioritized. In some cases, a company may decide to promote from within after an extensive external process — which can feel like a “waste of time” to candidates, but is a calculated move on the client’s part.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t engage. It does mean you should approach each opportunity with clarity around where you stand in the process and what you’re learning, regardless of outcome.

How to Stay Top-of-Mind in a Long Search

When hiring processes stretch out, it’s easy for even standout candidates to fade from memory. A few ways to remain engaged without being overbearing:

  • Check in strategically: A brief, well-timed follow-up every few weeks shows continued interest and professionalism.

  • Offer insights: If relevant, share an article, data point, or market observation — especially if it ties into the company’s challenges.

  • Stay visible: Keep your LinkedIn active. Hiring teams often revisit candidate profiles during decision cycles.

What to Do While You Wait

A slower process doesn’t mean standing still. Here’s how to make the most of the in-between time:

  • Refine your positioning: Are you telling a clear leadership story across your resume, LinkedIn, and interviews?

  • Deepen your network: Use this time to re-engage with trusted peers, advisors, and former colleagues.

  • Stay sharp: Read, write, or speak on areas of expertise. Demonstrating thought leadership can help set you apart.

Executive Searches Take Time — but That Time Can Work For You

It’s natural to feel frustrated when things move slowly, especially when you’re ready and eager for your next chapter. But great roles — and great hires — aren’t rushed.

By understanding the hidden timelines of executive hiring, you can approach each search more strategically, stay visible, and stay prepared — so when the right opportunity lands, you’re ready to move with clarity and confidence.

Welcome to The Candidate Bulletin

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In an industry defined by innovation, sustainability, and speed, professionals in packaging and print face a unique set of challenges—and opportunities. Navigating your next career move isn’t always about who you know, but what you know and when you know it.

At Athena Executive Search, we understand the pace and nuance of this space. That’s why we’ve created The Candidate Bulletin—a monthly, insight-led bulletin designed to give candidates an edge in today’s competitive executive job market.

What Is The Candidate Bulletin?

More than just a job alert, The Candidate Bulletin is your professional career companion. Each edition is thoughtfully curated for those working in packaging, print, and adjacent manufacturing industries—whether you’re a rising star or a seasoned executive.

This monthly update connects you to what matters most:

  • Exclusive job opportunities you won’t find on public job boards

  • Market intelligence from our team’s daily conversations with employers and decision-makers

  • Talent spotlights to help you benchmark your skills and experience

  • Career visibility tips to ensure you stand out for the right reasons

What You Can Expect

Handpicked Job Opportunities

Each month, we feature a selection of roles across the UK and Europe—from operations and commercial leadership through to C-level appointments. These are often confidential or pre-release roles, shared directly with Athena through our retained search mandates.

Market Trends & Hiring Insights

Stay ahead with practical, data-informed insights on where the industry is heading. Understand which skills are most in demand, which regions are growing, and what leadership traits employers are prioritizing in today’s climate.

Featured Talent Spotlights

We anonymously profile high-performing candidates currently open to new opportunities. It’s a chance to understand how your experience compares to others in the market—and to consider how you might refine your own positioning.

Professional Growth Advice

From enhancing your LinkedIn profile to navigating discreet job searches while employed, we offer short, actionable tips to raise your visibility and sharpen your edge.

Why This Bulletin Matters

The best career moves rarely start with a job ad. They start with access. With timing. With awareness.

The Candidate Bulletin is built to give packaging and print professionals access to the market’s most exciting, often hidden opportunities—before they’re widely known. It’s also a chance to stay informed, even if you’re not ready to make a move just yet.

If you’re in production, operations, technical sales, supply chain, or executive leadership, this bulletin is for you.

Take Control of Your Career

For over a decade, Athena Executive Search has partnered with the UK and Europe’s leading packaging and print businesses to build world-class teams. Now, we’re sharing that insight with the professionals who power this industry—starting with you.

Subscribe to The Candidate Bulletin and stay one step ahead of your next great opportunity.

Want to be considered for future roles?
Contact us confidentially at: zandria@athena-executive.com

Beyond Compliance: Why ESG-Savvy Leaders Are Driving Profit in Print and Packaging

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Sustainability used to be a box-ticking exercise. Now, it’s a bottom-line issue.

In the print and packaging sectors, companies with strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) credentials are outpacing their peers—not just in reputation, but in revenue growth, resilience, and investor confidence.

And the common thread among these outperformers? Leadership that understands how to turn ESG commitments into commercial strategy.

At Athena Executive Search, we’re seeing a growing demand for executives who bring ESG fluency to the boardroom. Here’s why that shift is accelerating—and what it means for the future of executive hiring.

ESG Is No Longer a Niche Concern—It’s a Business Imperative

Stakeholders are demanding more than promises. From regulators and investors to B2B customers and end consumers, expectations around sustainability, transparency, and ethical governance are rising fast.

In the print and packaging industries, this translates into:

  • Tougher compliance standards (e.g. Extended Producer Responsibility, packaging taxes, carbon disclosures)

  • Supply chain scrutiny from global brands and retailers

  • Risk premiums for businesses that can’t demonstrate ESG performance

  • Investment incentives for those that can

But while compliance is a starting point, true value creation comes from embedding ESG into commercial decision-making. That’s where leadership makes all the difference.

What Sets ESG-Savvy Leaders Apart?

It’s no longer enough for executives to “support” sustainability from a distance. Today’s most impactful leaders actively integrate ESG principles into their core remit—whether that’s operations, procurement, marketing, or finance.

We’re seeing demand for senior talent who can:

  • Align ESG with commercial KPIs Understanding how sustainability drives margin growth, customer retention, and risk mitigation.

  • Lead sustainable innovation Driving product, process, and packaging innovations that reduce environmental impact and unlock new revenue streams.

  • Strengthen brand equity through purpose Building trust with stakeholders by championing transparency, ethical sourcing, and community engagement.

  • Influence up and down the value chain Engaging suppliers, partners, and internal teams in meaningful change—especially in complex global supply networks.

Real-World Impact: ESG as a Business Driver

Companies that embed ESG at the leadership level are seeing measurable benefits. For example:

  • A European print supplier that tied executive bonuses to carbon and energy performance saw a 12% drop in operating costs in two years.

  • A packaging business that brought in a Chief Sustainability Officer with commercial background secured new contracts with major FMCG clients who required carbon footprint disclosures.

  • Another firm used ESG positioning to win tenders from retailers prioritizing ethical sourcing and circular packaging.

These are not PR wins. These are strategic advantages, created by leaders who can bridge sustainability and strategy.

The Talent Gap Is Growing—But It’s Also an Opportunity

Despite rising demand, there’s a shortage of senior leaders with both ESG expertise and sector-specific knowledge.

That’s why companies that act now—by redefining leadership requirements and tapping into adjacent sectors (like clean tech, ethical manufacturing, or ESG consulting)—are gaining a head start.

At Athena, we help clients:

  • Identify ESG-ready leaders across traditional and non-traditional backgrounds

  • Redesign job profiles to align with sustainability objectives

  • Vet candidates for purpose, agility, and long-term strategic thinking—not just past performance

Athena’s Perspective

We believe the future of executive leadership in print and packaging belongs to those who can answer this question:

How does doing the right thing become a competitive edge?

Our role is to help you find the people who don’t just answer it—but deliver on it.

Is your next executive hire ESG-ready?

Let’s talk about how Athena Executive Search can help you align top-tier talent with your business and sustainability goals.

From Plastic to Purpose: How Packaging Firms Are Rethinking Talent for a Circular Future

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As global focus intensifies on reducing plastic waste and minimizing environmental impact, the packaging industry stands at a critical crossroads. The transition to a circular economy—where waste is eliminated, and materials are kept in use—is not just a supply chain challenge. It’s a talent challenge.

To lead this transformation, companies need more than sustainability strategies. They need the right people to execute them.

At Athena Executive Search, we are helping packaging companies find the leaders who can drive innovation, navigate complexity, and embed circular thinking at the heart of business operations.

The Circular Shift Is Here—and It’s Non-Negotiable

The days of single-use packaging dominance are numbered. In its place, a new paradigm is taking hold—one defined by:

  • Design for reuse and recyclability

  • Alternative materials and biomaterials

  • Producer responsibility and regulatory pressure

  • Customer demand for transparency and impact

These shifts are not isolated. They’re interconnected and systemic, requiring change across the entire value chain—from sourcing and design to logistics and end-of-life.

To respond, businesses must evolve. That evolution starts at the top.

A New Kind of Executive Is Emerging

Circular economy principles are transforming leadership profiles across the packaging sector. We’re seeing growing demand for executives who bring:

Sustainability Strategy Experience

Not just ESG awareness, but practical, results-oriented leadership in implementing sustainable business models, net-zero roadmaps, or closed-loop systems.

Innovation in Materials and Design

Leaders with backgrounds in materials science, eco-design, or industrial engineering who understand how to reimagine packaging from the ground up.

Collaborative, Cross-Disciplinary Thinking

The ability to unite R&D, procurement, marketing, and compliance around circular objectives—breaking silos to build integrated solutions.

Data and Lifecycle Intelligence

Executives who can make decisions based on life cycle assessments (LCA), carbon tracking, and impact reporting—not just financial metrics.

This new talent profile doesn’t always come from traditional packaging backgrounds. Some of the most promising candidates are arriving from cleantech, circular fashion, or sustainability consulting—and bringing a fresh perspective to the sector.

What’s Holding Companies Back?

For many organizations, legacy structures and outdated hiring models are the biggest obstacles to change.

It’s not uncommon for packaging companies to:

  • Seek innovation while hiring for the same old job specs

  • Expect ESG transformation without empowering leadership

  • Focus on operational continuity over strategic disruption

This is where executive search plays a critical role.

Athena’s Approach: Matching Mission with Mindset

At Athena, we specialize in packaging and print—and we understand the talent required to lead through complexity. When we partner with clients navigating sustainability transformation, we ask:

  • Are you hiring for today’s challenges—or tomorrow’s market realities?

  • Does your leadership team reflect your sustainability commitments?

  • Do your candidates bring both industry insight and change-driving capability?

We go beyond qualifications to assess how aligned a leader is with purpose, innovation, and systems thinking—traits that are essential for circular success.

The Bottom Line

Transitioning from plastic to purpose is more than a material change. It’s a cultural and leadership evolution.

If the packaging industry is to truly deliver on its environmental promises, it must start by rethinking the kind of people it puts in charge of the future.

At Athena Executive Search, we’re helping clients find leaders who not only understand circular economy principles—but who are ready to put them into practice.

Ready to lead your business into a more sustainable future?

Let’s talk about how the right executive hire can turn your circular ambitions into results.

Green Leadership: Why Sustainability Expertise Is the New Must-Have for Packaging and Print Executives

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The packaging and print industries are transforming. Is your leadership team ready?

As regulatory demands tighten and environmental awareness grows, sustainability is no longer a side consideration—it’s central to business success. In the packaging and print sectors, forward-thinking companies are turning to a new kind of executive: one who combines commercial leadership with a deep understanding of environmental impact.

At Athena Executive Search, we’re seeing firsthand how sustainability is reshaping the executive landscape—and why businesses can’t afford to fall behind.

Why Sustainability Can’t Wait

From single-use plastics bans to mandatory carbon reporting, regulations are changing fast. At the same time, major brands are setting ambitious sustainability goals, pushing expectations down the supply chain.

Add to that increasing consumer demand for greener products and more transparent practices, and it’s clear: the shift is not optional. Companies that can’t demonstrate environmental responsibility risk losing relevance—and market share.

What Makes a Sustainability-Focused Leader?

Traditional leadership traits—strategic thinking, commercial savvy, and operational efficiency—still matter. But in 2025 and beyond, standout executives in packaging and print will also bring:

  • Lifecycle Thinking – A holistic view of product design, sourcing, manufacturing, and end-of-life.

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration – The ability to align R&D, operations, marketing, and supply chain around sustainability goals.

  • ESG Fluency – Knowledge of frameworks like Science-Based Targets, CDP, or GRI, and how to apply them in real-world decisions.

  • Innovation with Purpose – Experience driving change through sustainable materials, processes, or business models.

These leaders are not just managing sustainability—they’re embedding it into every part of the business.

Real Examples: How the Industry Is Evolving

We’re already seeing leading companies redefine C-suite roles to align with sustainability goals. For example:

A global packaging firm we partnered with recently evolved its Chief Procurement Officer role to focus on supplier decarbonization and ethical sourcing—sending a strong message to customers, investors, and employees.

Others are building ESG accountability directly into executive KPIs and integrating sustainability into corporate strategy at the board level.

How Athena Helps You Find Green Leaders

At Athena Executive Search, we specialize in identifying purpose-driven executives who align with the future of packaging and print. Our approach includes:

  • Industry Expertise – Deep knowledge of the packaging and print value chain.

  • Sustainability Focus – Access to a global network of ESG-savvy leaders, including those from adjacent sectors like materials science, cleantech, and circular economy.

  • Values-Driven Assessment – We look beyond the CV, evaluating a candidate’s vision, leadership style, and track record of meaningful impact.

We don’t just fill roles—we help future-proof your leadership team.

Conclusion: Lead the Change or Risk Falling Behind

Sustainability isn’t a trend—it’s a defining challenge and opportunity for the packaging and print industries. The companies that will succeed are those led by individuals who understand that profitability and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.

Are you ready to find your next sustainability-focused executive?

Let’s talk.
Athena Executive Search connects companies with leaders who drive real, responsible growth.

Need Support with Executive Hiring?

Contact us to start a conversation about how we can help your thrive in a greener future.

How to use social media to find a new role

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When used correctly, social media is a powerful tool to help you identify that perfect role. An active and engaging social media presence is crucial for a variety of reasons. Your activity across social media platforms says so much about who you are and helps you to present yourself in this increasingly competitive market as the ideal, talented addition to an employer.

An engaging social media feed across a variety of platforms also highlights your ability to build professional contacts as well as showcase your skills. Recruiters respond favourably to active social media feeds; they gather information based upon the quality, frequency and professional relevance of your posts. Developing your social media skills is therefore vital and we have some strategic tips to help you maximise your opportunities.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn really is the go-to networking site for recruiters. But merely creating a LinkedIn profile isn’t enough to convince hiring managers to take a closer look at you. Recruiters seek superior content, such as testimonials and recommendations from your colleagues and clients. Rather than simply listing your experience and qualifications, take the time to include background information to provide context. The more time you spend curating engaging content, the better your chances of attracting the job opportunities you want.

Recruiters seek talented individuals to network with and to interview. Highlight your skills and experience, stand out from the crowd and use LinkedIn to build an impressive database of industry contacts. The more active you are on LinkedIn, the better it will reflect on you and your suitability for a particular role.

Twitter

Twitter is by far the chattiest of all social media platforms – but don’t let that fool you. It’s a powerful tool for attracting a new job. Twitter is also a helpful resource to discover what people are saying about the company you want to work for. When you are looking for a new job, focus your tweets and retweets on industry-relevant subjects. Use keywords and hashtags to group your content with industry-specific content. Engage with respected industry leaders through following and responding to their tweets. Use your experience to offer helpful advice to other Twitter users in your industry. Recruiters will take note of what you say and who you interact with; make the most of the opportunity and highlight your skills and industry knowledge.

Facebook

Facebook’s reputation as an informal social media platform has caught out many a hopeful candidate. Don’t let this be you. Nowadays Facebook is also teeming with many helpful industry-specific groups and content. In addition to interacting with industry peers, be prepared for recruiters to peruse your profile to see how you engage with the world beyond your work environment. Who you are is your personal brand. If you prefer, create a separate profile to use as your professional Facebook page. It is, however, good practice to keep your content clean.

Social media is an effective channel through which to highlight your skills, experience and personality to potential employers, and confirm your suitability for a role. The opportunities available on social media to further your career are endless. Happy posting!

Athena Executive Search specialise in recruiting in the Print and Packaging sectors globally. Please connect with us on social media to keep up to date on industry topics, recruitment and retention strategies, and our upcoming webinar series with industry thought leaders. You can also subscribe here: https://athena50147.activehosted.com/f/1

 

Welcome to The Athena Client Brief

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Helping You Build World-Class Leadership Teams in Print & Packaging

At Athena Executive Search, we understand that talent is the most strategic investment any company can make. That’s why we’re proud to introduce The Athena Client Brief — a newsletter designed specifically for leaders in the print and packaging sectors who are serious about building high-performing executive teams.

Why This Brief? Why Now?

Leadership recruitment is evolving rapidly. Candidates are no longer swayed by compensation alone. Today’s top executives are looking for companies with purpose, flexibility, and long-term growth opportunities. Yet many organizations struggle to adapt their hiring strategies to meet these new expectations.

The Athena Client Brief was created to fill that gap. Each edition will deliver practical insights, market trends, and real-world case studies to help you attract, retain, and empower the best talent.

Who Is This For?

If you’re responsible for shaping your organization’s leadership — as a CEO, board member, HR executive, or founder — this newsletter is for you.

Whether you’re scaling fast, transforming your business, or future-proofing your leadership pipeline, our goal is to give you a competitive edge in how you think about, attract, and retain top-tier talent.

What to Expect

Each monthly issue of The Athena Client Briefwill include:

  • Market Trends: What’s shaping executive talent in print & packaging
  • Athena Insights: Actionable advice from our search consultants
  • Case Studies: How top companies are securing world-class leaders
  • Talent Strategy Tips: Building a culture and EVP that attract the best

This is not generic hiring advice. It’s industry-specific, leadership-focused intelligence that reflects our deep network and years of experience in this space.

Let’s Lead the Talent Conversation — Together

We’re excited to kick off this new chapter and to partner with you on one of the most important challenges your business faces: building the right leadership team.

Welcome to The Athena Client Brief. We’re glad you’re here.