At a glance
- Outcome
- Hired (Turkey-based)
- Service
- Professional Search
- Sector
- Metallurgy / Industrial
- Coverage
- APAC clients out of Hong Kong
- Sourcing reach
- Germany → Europe → Turkey
The challenge
The challenge.
A German metallurgy company was opening a Chinese branch in Hong Kong and needed a technical sales professional to manage its APAC client base from there. The strong preference was a German hire — failing that, someone from elsewhere in Europe — who could carry the parent company's technical standards and customer relationships into the region.
The hard constraint was economics. The role's budget was calibrated to a German metallurgy salary band, not to the cost of relocating a German family to Hong Kong. The pool of qualified German technical-sales candidates willing to move to Hong Kong at that package was, in practice, zero. The client's expectations on profile and on cost were pulling in opposite directions.
The engagement
How we ran it.
We started inside Germany to test the brief honestly. After mapping the qualified pool of metallurgy technical-sales profiles and running outreach on the relocation track, we confirmed what the client suspected: at the offered package, German candidates would not move to Hong Kong. We documented the market read and brought the client a calibrated alternative rather than running the same search for another quarter.
From there we widened to the rest of Europe and into Turkey, where the metallurgy industry has a deep technical-sales bench and where a Hong Kong relocation is economically viable at the client's budget. We managed the relocation track end-to-end — package framing, family considerations, visa expectations — so that finalists arrived at the offer stage with realistic information.
Roles hired
What we hired.
Technical Sales Manager — Metallurgy (APAC)
Senior technical sales hire based in Hong Kong, owning APAC client relationships for a German metallurgy group's new Chinese branch. Deep metallurgy domain background, technical-commercial fluency, and willingness to relocate at a German-calibrated package — closed with a Turkey-based candidate after the German and broader European pools could not meet the cost constraint.
Candidate landscape
Candidate landscape.
Germany
Mapped the German metallurgy technical-sales pool first. The profiles existed; the willingness to relocate to Hong Kong at the offered package did not. We surfaced this clearly so the client could decide whether to raise the package or widen the search.
Rest of Europe
Expanded into other European metallurgy hubs. Stronger appetite for international moves in some markets, but the same package-versus-Hong-Kong-cost-of-living gap kept the qualified, willing pool small.
Turkey
Turkey has a substantial metallurgy industry and a generation of technical-sales professionals with European working culture, English fluency, and a relocation calculus that worked at the client's package. This is where the hire landed.
How we ran it
Process.
- Week 1
Calibration
Brief with the German hiring team and the Hong Kong branch lead. Profile, package, and relocation expectations confirmed in writing.
- Phase 1
Germany & Europe outbound
Mapped and approached metallurgy technical-sales profiles across Germany and adjacent European markets. Reported back honestly that the relocation economics did not work at the offered package.
- Phase 2
Turkey widening
Opened the search to Turkey, where metallurgy talent and Hong Kong relocation economics line up. Structured screens, finalist interviews with the Hong Kong branch, and offer support.
- Close
Offer & relocation
Closed the Turkey-based candidate with relocation framing, visa coordination, and onboarding into the Hong Kong branch.
The outcome
Outcome.
The Hong Kong branch hired a Turkey-based technical sales professional with deep metallurgy domain experience, who relocated to Hong Kong at the client's original package and took over APAC client coverage.
Client quote: "We wanted a German hire, but at the package we could offer for Hong Kong, Zero to One was right to widen the search — the Turkish candidate they placed is performing strongly."
FAQ
FAQ.
- Why widen beyond Germany on a German company's mandate?
- Because the budget was calibrated to German metallurgy salaries, not to Hong Kong relocation costs for a German family. We ran Germany first, confirmed the package would not move qualified candidates, and brought the client a calibrated alternative instead of burning another quarter on the same pool.
- How do you handle Hong Kong relocation in a search?
- Relocation runs as a parallel track from the first candidate call. We frame package, cost-of-living, visa timeline and family considerations transparently, so finalists arrive at the offer stage with realistic information and acceptance rates hold up.
- Do you run APAC-based searches from Europe?
- Yes. For roles that need a European-standard technical or commercial profile based in APAC, we run the search from our European base with sourcing across Europe, Turkey and other markets where the relocation economics work.
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