Switched On Group Case Study: Building the Leadership Team for Growth

Switched On Group is a whānau and iwi-owned organisation delivering construction, maintenance and trade services across Aotearoa. Their purpose is to enhance environments for whānau, businesses and communities through projects that create lasting impact.

Problem

As Switched On entered its next phase of growth, the leadership team identified the need for stronger executive capability to support both commercial expansion and organisational development.

The business needed to appoint two critical executive roles but wanted to ensure the positions were designed around future success, not just current needs. They required a recruitment partner who understood the realities of scaling organisations and could help define the leadership capability needed for the next stage of growth.

Solution

Sprout partnered closely with Switched On's leadership team to understand their strategy, structure and long-term vision before going to market.

Rather than simply recruiting to existing position descriptions, we worked with the team to redesign both roles, clarifying responsibilities, success measures and leadership expectations.

This included creating New Zealand's first Chief Leadership Officer role, a strategic people executive focused on lifting leadership capability across the organisation, including supporting the CEO and senior leadership team.

For both positions, we developed detailed success plans covering:

• The purpose and scope of each role

• Key priorities and outcomes

• First 90-day expectations

• Success measures and KPIs

• Alignment to Switched On's future growth strategy

The Chief Growth Officer search was delivered through a targeted executive search process, supported by specialist sales assessment tools and market expertise. The Chief Leadership Officer role combined executive search with a targeted advertising campaign.

Impact

Switched On successfully appointed two high-calibre executives who quickly became key contributors to the organisation's growth and development.

The upfront investment in role design, success planning and alignment created clarity for both the executives and the business, enabling a fast start and early impact.

Today, both leaders have expanded their responsibilities and continue to play an important role in strengthening Switched On's commercial performance and leadership capability as the organisation grows.

We continue to support Switched On Group through organisational design, role design, and the appointment of other key leaders