Executive Summary
Q2 2026 has told a different story to Q1.
Following an exceptionally strong Q1 - our busiest quarter since starting this report - the escalation of conflict in the Gulf and subsequent disruption to the Strait of Hormuz triggered a marked slowdown through April and into May, before confidence has begun to cautiously return in June.
This Quarter's Takeaways
Across the full quarter, we tracked 41 Executive Leadership appointments globally - down 43% on Q1's 72 appointments, but still up 17% year-on-year versus Q2 2025. The market has clearly cooled from Q1's pace, but has held up considerably better than the geopolitical backdrop might suggest.
Of the 41 moves tracked, 11 (27%) were Chief Procurement Officer appointments, with the remainder focused on Supply Chain Leadership roles. Food & Beverage and Pharma & Life Sciences remained the most active sectors, with Industrial hiring also holding up well despite the disruption.
One notable trend is the increase in major listed organisations hiring C-Suite talent. In 2025, and much of the earlier part of this year, hiring was driven largely by Private Equity portfolio companies, but with companies such as Target, Hershey, Kohl’s and Edgewell hiring new CSCOs, it appears that the major listed multinationals are returning to the table to hire external leadership, especially in the Consumer Goods space.
Below is a summary of June's moves. Please feel free to reach out, or refer to April & May's report for the full list of 41 movements.
- Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.: Sajid Kunnummal joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from BD
- GE HealthCare: Akshar Awalgaonkar joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from Avery Dennison
- Vestis Corporation: Steve Cochran joins as EVP, Chief Commercial & Supply Chain Officer, from TSC Miami
- Ciena: Grant Hoffman joins as Chief Supply Chain Officer, from HP
- TBC Corporation: Ron Harper joins as Chief Supply Chain Officer, from PrimeSource Building Products
- Kohl's: Elliott Rodgers joins as Chief Operating Officer, from Foot Locker
- Spinelli Kilcollin: Avon Ray joins as Chief Operating Officer, from Jacques Marie Mage
- Marimekko: Karolin Stjerna joins as Chief Operating Officer, Supply Chain, from Ganni
- Griffith Foods: John Murphy joins as SVP, Global Supply Chain, from Abbott Nutrition
- Husqvarna Group: Lily Guo joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from Harman
Regional Snapshot
North America remained the dominant hub for the quarter, accounting for two-thirds of all moves tracked (27 of 41). Large corporates continued re-engaging after a period of caution, and Private Equity-backed businesses remained active - creating the now-familiar dynamic where PE firms draw talent from listed companies, triggering further replacement hiring in turn. Activity dipped through April before picking back up meaningfully in May and June. We are seeing significant activity at C-1 and C-2 levels in North America, as organisations return to the market in strength.
Europe held up notably well against a difficult economic and geopolitical backdrop, accounting for 12 of the quarter's appointments. DACH and Benelux remained the most consistently active hubs for industrial and manufacturing-led hiring, and the UK saw a stronger showing than expected given domestic conditions.
While Asia saw very limited C-Suite activity in Q2, with just 2 appointments tracked, the market in Singapore, India and the wider region has been surprisingly busy, with high levels of VP and Director level hiring, despite the Strait of Hormuz disruption causing significant challenges in the region. We are seeing companies increase their hiring strategies in China +1 strategic locations (Malaysia, Vietnam and India all seeing significant hiring), and Singapore has seen a surprising resurgence of hiring, with a higher-than-average amount of VP level hiring in Q2.
The GCC saw no C-Suite appointments tracked in Q2, reflecting the direct impact of the regional conflict on senior hiring activity. While mid-level hiring appears to be returning to the market, it is still tentative, and we are watching closely for early signs of stabilisation as we move into H2.
Functional Hiring Trends
- Centre of Excellence talent is once again in high demand, as companies invest in reigniting optimisation, automation and centralisation of functions such as planning, customer logistics and customer services.
- Plant Director and Plant Director-1 talent remains in critically short supply, as it has consistently this year, with sustained challenges in pipelining for asset-heavy businesses. We are also seeing higher demand for Continuous Improvement leadership in both Logistics and Manufacturing as companies begin to increase investment into automation.
- Similarly to the above, Fulfilment Leadership for companies with in-house distribution networks has become more challenging – with continued growth in eCommerce, and changing complexity in distribution with changing tariff policies, companies are investing in new Fulfilment & Distribution leadership for corporate leadership roles.
- Trade Compliance Leaders demand increasing both in established business, where resilience is required, and fast-growth businesses, to enable new market launches at pace.
- Chief Procurement Officer remains high on the agenda, however in Q2 we have seen an increase in C-1 and C-2 roles, particularly within Procurement Excellence and Indirect Procurement spaces.
- Management Consultancy hiring has increased, especially at Director and Partner level as the demand for Consultancy support across network design, manufacturing optimisation, and broader Supply Chain and Procurement strategy increases.
Outlook for Q3
The market has seen a significant turmoil in Q2, and the Iran conflict continues to develop as of writing.
However, there is a cautious optimism in the market, as companies return to market to hire irrespective of geopolitical situations. However, a significant escalation or total shutdown of the Strait could of course lead to further freezes and caution in the market.
Q3 is generally slightly quieter than Q2 due to the summer, especially in Europe, however we expect to see maintained movement in Q3, or potentially a slight dip in activity.
Thank you for reading!
Sam