Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

About WaterWipes

WaterWipes was born out of the company Irish Breeze Ltd., which was established in 1993 and has become a world leader in skincare and baby care.

Headquartered in Ireland, the company has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years, and now employs 300+ people, selling to over 60 countries worldwide, is listed as a Deloitte ‘Best Managed Company’ for the second year running and has achieved global ‘Great Place to Work’ accreditation. To date, the business has established offices and developed employee bases in Ireland, the USA, Singapore, China, Germany, Dubai, Canada, and The Netherlands.

The Assignment

With the decision of the CEO-Founder to step into the Chairman role, Morgan McKinley was approached to carry out an executive search to secure a world class Chief Executive Officer. This was an exceptional time to take on the leadership of WaterWipes as the organisation has positioned itself well to realise its very ambitious growth plans. Reporting to the Chairman and forming part of the board, the Chief Executive Officer would lead the organisation through the Executive leadership team and continue delivering on the existing great performance into the future.

Our Solution

Morgan McKinley had worked with WaterWipes for over four years when we took on the critical assignment to find their next Chief Executive Officer. We understood the DNA of the business culture intimately and were passionate about finding a world class Chief Executive Officer for this exceptional business.

On behalf of our client, we were looking for an exceptional strategist and an outstanding leader to guide the worldwide team and build the business with vision. At all times, WaterWipes aims to treat their people and their customers with the care they deserve, and the right candidate would have to naturally put people at the centre of all that they do.

We were seeking an empowering leader who could inspire the people and the organisation to be the very best that it can be, to remove obstacles to progress and to provide clear vision and direction. Assuming direct accountability for a multimillion-euro business, the Chief Executive Officer would be responsible for steering the strategic direction of the organisation and aligning the business to deliver effectively on that vision. Morgan McKinley leveraged primarily our existing network of high calibre talent in the CPG leadership space internationally. We prioritised candidates on cultural fit with technical ability as a given for all shortlisted interested parties. The executive search yielded a candidate who came with exceptional global blue chip FMCG credentials, but more importantly, she really understood and demonstrated how to leverage the people and brand assets of this fantastic organisation to underpin sustainable growth for the future.