JBS Group
Placing a BDM successor for JBS Group — finding a PPE-experienced candidate to be trained by a long-serving incumbent before stepping into a national new business role.
Client Overview
JBS Group is a UK distributor of personal protective equipment and workwear, supplying safety products to industrial, construction and manufacturing businesses. The business operates in a competitive B2B market where trusted supplier relationships, product knowledge and the ability to manage complex account requirements across multiple sites and procurement functions are the key commercial differentiators. JBS serves businesses ranging from SME contractors to large multi-site industrial operators, selling through a combination of direct field sales and account management relationships.
The Brief
With a long-standing Business Development Manager approaching retirement, JBS needed to find his replacement with sufficient lead time to allow a structured handover. The brief was to recruit a BDM who would be trained and mentored by the outgoing incumbent, before stepping into the national new business role when he transitioned out. The incoming person needed PPE sector experience to be credible with customers from day one and to be able to get up to speed quickly during the handover period.
The Challenge
Succession planning searches have a particular complexity — the incoming candidate needs to be strong enough to eventually operate independently in a senior role, but willing to spend an initial period in a supporting function under a more experienced colleague. Candidates who are ready for that level of responsibility often don't want to step back even temporarily, while candidates who are comfortable with the structure are sometimes not ready for what the role ultimately demands. Finding someone with the PPE sector experience, commercial capability and the right expectations about how the role would evolve required careful qualification at brief stage.
What Sales Recruit UK Did
Sales Recruit UK targeted the PPE, workwear and industrial safety distribution market for candidates with relevant sector experience and a commercial profile that matched the demands of a national new-business role. The SRUK Fit Score process evaluated candidates across PPE and safety sector knowledge, new-business development track record, account management capability and the self-awareness to understand and commit to a structured succession arrangement. References were used to verify sector credibility and approach to commercial relationships.
The Outcome
JBS appointed a Business Development Manager with the required PPE sector background, who joined the business alongside the outgoing incumbent and completed a structured handover period before taking on the full national new business responsibility.