The $9bn global US clothing giant PVH Corp is best known for their impressive portfolio of iconic brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.
In 2016, the major fashion house decided to move its manufacturing operations from China to Hawassa in Ethiopia, where sanitation is either poor or non-existent.
The move to Ethiopia meant PVH was likely to attract thousands of workers and their families to Hawassa, so the company engaged with Acre to recruit an Outreach Director.
The role would involve working closely with local government and donors to help improve living conditions for new and current residents. The population of Hawassa is 300,000, which is expected to rise to 1 million over the next few years, mainly due to people moving to the city to work in factories.
The ideal scenario was to find someone already based in Ethiopia, who would already be well connected to key stakeholders and in a position to influence at the highest level of government and donor organizations.
The search was challenging to find the right person with such a strong skillset in the area and Acre is the only global search firm dedicated to CR/Sustainability, with a track record of placing candidates in far-flung places including Africa, India and Peru.
Acre located the right person for the job after a 12-week search process, who was already living and working in Ethiopia, in a similar senior role within government.
PVH is now a long-standing client of Acre.
