I took on the [company's] CEO role after participating in the due diligence process and company acquisition by [a private equity firm], closing in [date withheld].

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One of my early and most important responsibilities was to find a CFO to replace the incumbent who was departing the company post-transaction. [The private equity firm] and I assembled a search committee to evaluate search firms and executed a shootout process and extensive back-channel market references. The firms in consideration included Barton Muhammad Search (BMS) and a number of the large global search firms. We selected BMS because we believed they would treat this search with a high priority and sense of urgency, they had trust and credibility within the target candidate pool, their 30-plus years of operating in the consumer space, less off-limits, their incredibly comprehensive evaluative process and intimate partnership philosophy they provided to their clients and candidates.

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Partners Tim Barton and Ish Muhammad exceeded our expectations. BMS invested extensive time up front to understand the company’s and my needs in this important hire. They demonstrated that they clearly had command and depth of knowledge in the consumer space and deep relationships with top industry candidates. Equally importantly, they were able to convert top industry candidates for our consideration. Tim was the hardest-working recruiter I have ever partnered with, and his team followed suit. Tim and the BMS team operated as an extension of my leadership team and acted like owners throughout the process. In fact, Tim and Ish bet on themselves and us by taking equity in lieu of cash, demonstrating their confidence in their ability to deliver a long-term impact player who would create exceptional and accretive shareholder growth.

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Tim and BMS very quickly delivered an exceptional slate of candidates, all of which I would have been pleased to hire. All finalists were put thought a comprehensive evaluative process, including deep pre-and-post back-channel references. Tim and I worked closely, sharing insights and learnings on a daily basis. Tim and his team made me feel like I was their only client, being available 24/7 and 7 days per week. By the time we were ready to move forward with an offer, the search committee felt very confident that we knew the intimate pros and cons of the final three candidates.

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Tim partnered in closing of our first choice, pre-negotiating an acceptance before an offer was formally extended. Our experience throughout the process and up to closure was outstanding. Since our candidate’s hire, Tim has maintained communication with me, [the private equity firm], and our new CFO, demonstrating that the BMS commitment to long-term partnerships is truly one of their greatest points of difference!

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