Case Study
See how we deliver high-impact leadership outcomes through structured, strategic executive search.
Case Study
From Candidate to Client: Building Specialist Safety Capability
Client: Keolis Commuter Services
Scope: To appoint a Director of Safety & Human Factors who could bring specialist expertise into the business, develop its internal capability, and introduce a more proactive approach to managing human error.
Impact: Cobalt delivered two appointable finalists for an exceptionally rare skill set. The successful candidate, Akuadasuo Ezenyilimba, PhD, has now been with Keolis for over a year, and has delivered more than Kellie anticipated.
The Challenge
Three years after Cobalt placed Kellie Andrews into her VP role with Keolis, she asked us to find a specialist who could bring specialist Human Factors expertise into her restructured team. The successful candidate needed deep technical knowledge, the ability to turn theory into practical solutions, and the credibility to influence change in a challenging environment.
Cobalt’s Approach
Cobalt conducted a nationwide, cross-sector headhunt, mapping and reviewing 2,855 active and passive profiles. Thirteen candidates were assessed through our two-stage competency-based interview process, exploring both technical capability and cultural alignment, before four exceptional profiles were submitted. We looked beyond the conventional brief and persuaded Kellie to meet Akuadasuo, whose predominantly academic background disguised how transferable her expertise could be.
The Outcome
Two candidates reached the final stage and Kellie found it extremely difficult to choose between them, meaning Cobalt could effectively have filled this highly specialist role twice. Akuadasuo was appointed and has now been part of the team for more than a year. Kellie describes her as “fantastic” and says she has delivered significantly more than originally anticipated.
The candidate we hired has delivered more than we ever anticipated. Not only did she bring deep expertise, she exceeded expectations, took initiative, and contributed far beyond the original scope of the role. We are getting significantly more value than we expected.
