CEO – river group
River Group is searching for a visionary and inspiring leader to serve as their new CEO.
River Group is a leading Northern European service, project and product provider within the water and wastewater industry, with core expertise and competence in pumps and electric motors. 23 highly professional companies and approximately 350 employees across Northern Europe ensure a seamless flow of water resources, combining a local presence and passion with the structure and professionalism of a larger company. River Group’s ambition is to be Northern Europe’s most sustainable pump and water services company and strive to positively impact local communities and our society as a whole. River Group had revenues of approximately 900 MSEK in 2023, strong organic growth ahead of plans and solid margins. With new majority owners as of 2023, (private equity firm Equip Capital), River Group is well positioned for continued strong growth and performance in the coming years.
The company is now searching for a visionary and inspiring leader to serve as CEO at River Group. As CEO, you will be responsible for the overall strategy, growth and development of River Group and its 23 companies. You will provide leadership and direction to its executive team and employees, working closely with the owners and Board of Directors. The new CEO will lead an organization characterized by broad knowledge combined with high loyalty. A key focus area going forward for a new CEO will be to build upon existing capabilities and the strong corporate culture, while also driving profitable organic and acquisition driven growth, and executing on extensive opportunities for further value creation. For the right candidate, this is a unique opportunity to play a key role in accelerating an organisation towards becoming an industry leader in Northern Europe.
To be successful as the new CEO, you will likely have a background from CEO roles or other similar senior executive roles with full P&L within the water and wastewater industry or related fields of industries. In addition, strong financial acumen is required and experience from working in a private equity owned company is highly meriting. Although it will be important to find a CEO with the right experience and track record, the assignment is also about having the right type of personality, values, and leadership. The right person for the role has a strong drive and a high level of ambition and is moreover a committed leader, showing a great interest in the development of the business and also in the contribution to a sustainable society as a whole.
River Group’s HQ is located in downtown Stockholm. While you are not required to live in or relocate to Stockholm, the role requires regular presence at the HQ in addition to significant travelling across the Nordics and Northern Europe.
Please visit river-group.com and equip.no for more information.
main areas of responsability
- Further develop, communicate and implement a vision, strategy and culture for the group to successfully propel the development going forward
- Set and achieve ambitious growth targets, expanding River Group’s market share and service offerings in the Nordics and Northern Europe
- Be an inspiring and results-focused leader that develops the management team as a group, building a team that takes clear ownership of River Group’s development to reach set targets
- Lead an ambitious M&A agenda in cooperation with majority owners
- Oversee all aspects of the business, including operations, finance, marketing, and sales of River Group’s companies
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including leaders and employees within group companies, customers, suppliers, partners, and owners
- Lead and motivate a high-performing team across its member companies and develop the organisation, values and culture through a growth phase
key competencies & experiences
- Proven track record as a senior leader from B2B, with a demonstrated ability to create concrete results with full P&L-responsibility
- Previous experience from the water/wastewater industry or related field within B2B is meriting, ideally with previous experience from working with private equity owners
- Experience from international cross-border management and organizational change actively integrating an ESG agenda into the business model
- Experience from growing a company and realizing synergies between companies in different markets, ideally with previous experience from M&A and integration
- Solid financial skills and a strong business acumen, having a combined focus on developing a customer offering, raising profitability, while also developing new growth opportunities
personality & Leadership traits
- Business and result oriented person with a strong drive to achieve results and a person that thrives in a fast-paced company environment – genuinely motivated to invest the time and effort needed to succeed in the role
- Authentic and down to earth leadership style with a natural ability to work with different types of individuals and navigate on all levels of an organisation, having a hands-on approach when needed
- A commercially oriented and engaging leader who leads by example, and is strong at executing on plans as well as being clear in decision making and in giving feedback
- Solid analytical and strategic capacity to be able to analyze the business from different perspectives – good ability to develop, explain and communicate the strategy, complex problems and implementation plan in a way that all stakeholders understand
further questions?
Please contact Jan Pörtfors for more information about this role.
Jan Pörtfors
Erfaren rådgivare med fokus på utveckling och utvärdering av chefer och ledningsgrupper. Jan har lång erfarenhet från uppdrag på seniora nivåer både i Sverige och internationellt. Han är legitimerad psykolog och kommer närmast från en roll som partner på Omino Business Psychology Advisors och har tidigare bl a arbetat på Cohr Group.