Executive Search Success Story: Building a Global Trade Compliance and Sanctions Program From the Ground Up for a Private-Equity-Backed Specialty Chemicals Distributor

How JRG Partners executed a confidential, multi-role North American executive search strategy that equipped a private-equity-backed specialty chemicals and life sciences distributor expanding into 40 new markets with the trade compliance, sanctions, and trade operations leadership required to build a program from scratch, clear diligence findings, and enable international growth.

The Challenge

A private equity sponsor had acquired a North American specialty chemicals distributor with a plan to build a global platform through acquisitions in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Diligence on the first two international targets surfaced sales to sanctioned parties, undocumented dual-use export classifications, and no restricted party screening. The company itself had no trade compliance function, products with chemical weapons convention and precursor controls, and lenders who had conditioned acquisition financing on a compliance program. Executive leadership and the sponsor identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the expansion:

• No trade compliance function at a company about to operate in 40 new markets
• Diligence findings of sanctioned-party sales and missing export classifications at acquisition targets
• Dual-use, chemical weapons convention, and precursor chemical controls across the product portfolio
• No restricted party screening across customers, suppliers, or logistics partners
• Lender and sponsor conditions requiring a documented program before acquisitions closed
• Integration of acquired companies with unknown trade compliance histories

Recognizing that international expansion depended on a program that did not yet exist, the sponsor, CEO, and General Counsel engaged JRG Partners to recruit a Vice President of Global Trade Compliance, Director of Sanctions & Denied Party Screening, Director of Export Controls & Chemical Trade Regulation, and Director of Global Trade Operations. The company required an executive search partner with deep trade compliance expertise and access to leaders who had built programs from the ground up in chemicals and life sciences.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Global Trade Compliance Practice Focus

JRG Partners maintains a dedicated practice recruiting global trade compliance, sanctions, export controls, and customs leadership, with a clear understanding of chemical and life sciences trade regulation, sanctions regimes, and the program elements regulators and lenders expect.

Program Build Experience

Our firm has extensive experience recruiting executives who have built trade compliance programs from scratch at growth-stage and private-equity-backed companies, with a clear understanding of how to sequence policies, screening, classification, and training against business timelines.

Private Equity Portfolio Expertise

Our team works routinely with sponsors on compliance leadership builds tied to acquisitions and financing conditions, with a clear understanding of diligence findings and integration risk.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Program Requirements Alignment

Our consultants partnered directly with the sponsor, CEO, General Counsel, and outside counsel to review diligence findings, product control classifications, lender conditions, and the acquisition timeline, defining four leadership profiles sequenced to the first international closing.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting trade compliance, sanctions, export controls, and trade operations leaders at chemicals, life sciences, distribution, and industrial companies and advisory firms who had built documented programs and integrated acquisitions. Over 325 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of building trade compliance programs from the ground up, implementing restricted party screening across enterprise systems, classifying dual-use and chemical-controlled products, remediating sanctions exposure at acquired companies, and establishing trade operations across multiple regions. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented program build plans to the sponsor, CEO, and General Counsel, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified program and integration outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 325+ global trade compliance, sanctions, and export controls executive profiles mapped across North America.
• Successfully placed a synchronized leadership tier spanning trade compliance, sanctions, export controls, and trade operations within six months.
• Satisfied lender compliance conditions within ninety days of the first placement.
• Deployed restricted party screening across all enterprise systems within five months.
• Remediated and integrated acquired companies within ninety days of closing.
• Closed five international acquisitions with no trade compliance findings and grew international revenue to 35%.