A factory cannot hide underperformance. Throughput numbers, yield rates, cost per unit, and on-time delivery tell the story every week. This is what separates manufacturing executive search from other sectors - the results of a leadership decision are visible quickly, and the cost of a wrong one compounds across every shift. Christian & Timbers has spent forty years learning exactly what distinguishes executives who perform in these environments from those who look right on paper. That knowledge is the foundation of every manufacturing search we run.
For more than 40 years, Christian & Timbers has placed operational, commercial, and board-level leaders for manufacturers across industrial machinery, electronics, aerospace, consumer products, and clean energy infrastructure. Our clients range from PE-backed platforms in active value creation to publicly listed producers managing complex multi-site operations across multiple continents. We know this sector because we have recruited inside it at every level - plant president, COO, CEO, and independent board director - for companies where the margin for error is narrow and the expectations are high.
Our record of success is proven by measurable client outcomes.
Each placement demonstrates how leadership precision transforms organizational performance.
The COO in a manufacturing company is accountable for what actually happens — not strategy decks, not aspirational roadmaps, but output, cost, quality, and delivery. This executive has to hold the floor and the boardroom simultaneously: credible with plant managers who have run lines for twenty years, and precise with investors who want to see EBITDA move within twelve months.
Christian & Timbers identifies COOs who have run manufacturing at scale under real conditions - tariff pressure, labor shortages, raw material volatility, and the organizational friction that comes with integrating acquired facilities into an existing production network.
Leading production transformations across multi-site networks - restructuring shift models, renegotiating labor agreements, and driving output improvements without capital investment
Executing lean and continuous improvement programs at the enterprise level, moving beyond isolated kaizen events to systematic operational change that holds over time
Building operating rhythms and management systems that give leadership accurate, real-time visibility into production performance across geographies and product lines
Managing facility consolidations and plant rationalizations while maintaining customer commitments, protecting key workforce talent, and hitting the cost targets that justified the restructuring
Christian & Timbers has placed operations leaders at Pentair, Kennametal, ArcelorMittal, Kyocera, and Flex - organizations where the operating environment is complex and the performance bar is set by global competitors.
Manufacturing CEOs are evaluated on a short list of things: revenue growth, margin expansion, and what happens to enterprise value over the ownership period. The executives who consistently perform across all three share a specific combination of attributes - they understand the shop floor well enough to know when they are being told what they want to hear, and they understand capital markets well enough to know how their decisions translate into valuation.
Christian & Timbers has placed manufacturing CEOs and presidents for PE sponsors, family-owned industrials, and publicly listed producers. Our search process is built around the specific value creation thesis of each engagement.
Leading PE-backed value creation plans from day one — establishing operating cadence, building the leadership team, and delivering the EBITDA improvement that justifies the investment thesis
Scaling commercial platforms across distribution, OEM, and direct channels, growing revenue without eroding the operational discipline that protects margin at volume
Building aftermarket and service businesses that move a manufacturer's revenue mix toward recurring, higher-margin streams and deepen long-term customer relationships
Executing cross-border growth strategies, entering new geographies or verticals through organic development or bolt-on acquisition with full integration accountability
A recent example: C&T placed Arja Talakar as President Europe at Chart Industries, a global manufacturer of cryogenic and compression equipment serving clean energy and industrial markets. Chart required a leader who could scale both engineered equipment delivery and aftermarket service density across Europe — someone who understood how to run a complex industrial business through the Howden integration while building the commercial relationships that drive long-cycle revenue. Talakar's background leading Siemens businesses across energy and industrial infrastructure markets was precisely that profile.
Supply chains that worked in 2019 do not work today. Nearshoring mandates, single-source dependencies exposed by disruption, extended lead times from overseas suppliers, and rising freight costs have forced manufacturers to restructure networks they had optimized over decades. The executives who lead this work are among the highest-demand profiles in manufacturing - and among the hardest to find because the pool of people who have actually done it, rather than managed around it, is small.
Christian & Timbers maps supply chain and manufacturing technology talent with the same depth we apply to C-suite searches.
Restructuring supplier networks for resilience — developing regional sourcing alternatives, qualifying new suppliers to spec, and reducing single-source exposure without compromising cost or quality
Building supply chain visibility platforms that connect procurement, production scheduling, and commercial delivery into a single operating picture across multi-tier supplier networks
Leading industrial automation and robotics programs in environments where workforce transition, union agreements, and production continuity all have to be managed simultaneously
Deploying connected factory and IIoT systems that generate real-time production data and feed predictive maintenance, quality control, and throughput optimization programs
A recent example: C&T placed Lily Li as Senior Director of Supply Chain at CelLink Corporation, a next-generation flexible circuit manufacturer. CelLink needed a leader who could build supply chain infrastructure from a limited foundation while keeping pace with the production ramp — a profile that requires both technical precision and the judgment to make high-stakes sourcing decisions under time pressure.
PE sponsors and boards of manufacturing companies face a version of the search problem that is different from most other sectors. The candidates who look impressive in an interview — strong pedigree, confident in the room, fluent in operational language — are not always the ones who perform when they are standing on a plant floor at six in the morning trying to understand why line three missed its number. Identifying the difference requires sector knowledge that goes deeper than a functional checklist.
Christian & Timbers has conducted board searches and leadership advisory for PE-backed manufacturers across industrial machinery, electronics, automotive components, consumer products, and aerospace. Our work with Sheldahl, Desktop Metal, Ursa Major, Flex, and ArcelorMittal reflects the range of manufacturing environments where we have placed board-level and senior executive talent.
For PE clients specifically, we understand that a board director in a manufacturing portfolio company is not a passive role. The best independent directors in these environments bring direct operating credibility, a track record of governing capital-intensive businesses through transformation, and the commercial judgment to challenge management on both operational and market assumptions.
Manufacturing is a sector where experience is visible and results are measurable. Christian & Timbers brings both - a forty-year track record of placing executives who perform in industrial environments, combined with a search methodology built around verified outcomes rather than assumed fit.
We maintain full competitive visibility without off-limits restrictions. That means when you brief us on a search, we are not working around a protected client list — we are working through the full market to find the right person, wherever they are.
Every engagement begins with a current map of the relevant talent ecosystem, built from proprietary data on executive performance across roles, companies, sectors, and ownership structures.
Our approach combines:
spanning industrial machinery, electronics, aerospace, clean energy infrastructure, consumer products, and PE-backed industrial platforms
and performance scoring built around operational, commercial, and financial outcomes — not self-reported competencies
aligning COO, CEO, supply chain, and board roles behind a coherent leadership strategy rather than treating each search as an isolated transaction
built on four decades of direct relationships with executives and boards across the world's most demanding manufacturing organizations
Christian & Timbers is consistently named among the top manufacturing executive recruiters and manufacturing staffing agencies for retained search - recognized for the precision, speed, and verifiable performance of every engagement.
I had the privilege of working with Jeff Christian, founder and CEO of Christian & Timbers who helped me secure an independent corporate board director role at a global radiopharmaceutical company. From the outset, Jeff demonstrated a deep understanding of the company’s growth trajectory and outlook, board governance and strategic oversight needs, and how my experience could add value at the board level. His guidance throughout the process was thoughtful, strategic, and highly effective. I would strongly recommend Jeff Christian and his firm to any corporate board seeking a strategic recruitment firm able to identify and attract outstanding board talent.
Board Membr
I had an outstanding experience working with Jeff Christian and his team. They presented me with a compelling Board opportunity at Telix Pharmaceuticals, which I was very pleased to accept. Jeff and his team demonstrated strong professionalism throughout the process. They worked effectively with both sides to ensure the role was an excellent fit - exciting, strategically aligned, and well-matched to my background and interests.
I would highly recommend Jeff Christian and his team to any executive or company seeking top-tier board placements.
BOARD MEMBER
Christian & Timbers is an exceptional executive search partner. They move fast and found us one of the best CTOs in the industry. Would highly recommend using them.
CEO
Christian & Timbers works fast, diligently, and sources great candidates. Would highly recommend them to others.
Founder
We’ve partnered with Christian & Timbers for many years, and their team is exceptionally professional, responsive, and energetic. Thanks to their efforts, we secured an outstanding CEO and Operating Partner who have strengthened our leadership and positioned a portfolio company for long-term success.
Partner and Chief Operating Officer
Christian & Timbers is an outstanding search firm to work with in AI and cyber security. Their data-driven and bespoke approach has been pivotal in recruiting GTM leaders and board members for our portfolio companies like SecurityScorecard. The GTM President, CMO, SVP Sales, CPO and SVP Engineering have helped drive growth by 2X.
Partner
I’ve trusted Jeff and Christian & Timbers for over two decades because they always deliver. Their hands-on, relentless process brings us top leaders who know how to scale, drive performance, and deliver the best outcomes. They drove a very disciplined process recruiting a CRO and CMO for one of Bessemer’s portcos that helped us achieve a critical exit.
Operating Partner
Jeff’s broad experience and unique insights are always helpful, and he facilitated a great board role match for my interests and goals.
CEO
Jeff and the team at Christian & Timbers were professional, communicative, and extremely responsive. They ensured the entire process was focused on what our company needed and did not push candidates they believed wouldn’t fit our culture and growth. I would work with them again without hesitation.
Vice President, Operations
Christian & Timbers’ science-based methodology and rigorous process helped us find 3 top-tier GTM leaders that know our business and drive revenue. Their approach has been crucial to our company’s growth and leadership.
CEO
Christian & Timbers did an awesome job on a tough CFO search for us. We were interviewing the best local candidates with PE and SaaS experience in less than 2 weeks and met a short timeline.
CEO
The team at Christian & Timbers drove a very tight process and completed our CISO search in less than 70 days. We needed someone in Boston with a very specific skill set. C&T executes exactly as they commit.
CEO
Over 40 years of experience, C&T has completed 5,000+ executive placements, 750+ leadership teams, and 500+ marquee CEO searches across technology, manufacturing, and industrial sectors.
