When Alexandar Vassilev took the CEO role at WeTransfer, he knew he had an adjustment ahead of him. He was transitioning from chief technology officer at the streaming platform to chief executive, and he was a new parent.
But Alexandar also knew he had a lot of expertise that made him the right fit for the role. He had experience running an online business and a deep product-led growth background that was perfect for a growing, technology-first company like WeTransfer.
While Alexandar was able to quickly fit into the operational side of the role, he also realized he was now in charge of hiring great talent and building the executive team around him.
In many ways, I’m lucky to have a very strong team. But when I took the job, I didn’t have that team yet. When I joined the business, it was… let’s say half of what it is today in terms of size of people. So, I found myself in a new role, having to assemble a strong team while continuing to progress and grow the business.
Luckily, Alexandar says, he was able to put together a great team fairly quickly. But he says the process was not an easy one, and one that definitely ran more smoothly with the help of an executive search firm like True.
Alexandar says that as companies and search firms continue to work together, their mutual understanding of what the other party provides grows stronger.
“But the first one is always tough,” he says, referring to the first hire. “The first one requires you to build a very strong pipeline… And what I’ve noticed is that the pipeline gets better and better; but you do have to invest the time–both on my end, and obviously on the search end.”