It’s all we do. We’re one of the most experienced-if not the most experienced-wine industry recruitment firms. By focusing on just executive level placement and one industry, we have the depth and breadth of network and know-how to deliver exactly what you need in a candidate-not merely the best of who’s actively seeking-and the experience to ensure their smooth, successful transition into your business.

We understand the difficulty of making a profit in the wine business, and we know the challenges posed in creating brand awareness, differentiation and relevancy, competitive direct to consumer marketing, winery and distributor consolidation, increased global competition, changing technology, systems, compliance, etc. We also know how quickly cutting-edge skill sets become outdated, creating the need for new perspective and talent.

From the hundreds of executive level searches we’ve conducted, 98% of our placements are still with the company one year after placement.

We view each placement as an investment in a client, rather than a one-time transaction, and therefore enjoy long-standing, ongoing relationships with our clients as they grow.

We limit the number of searches we conduct at one time to give your project our full attention, and conduct original and comprehensive research for each. We do all the legwork ourselves, never passing it off to others, and maintain a hands-on approach all the way through final placement, to ensure the integrity and success of each search.

We know the lay of the wine industry and recruiting land, but our extensive network draws from highly regarded professionals in all parts of the industry (consumer direct and traditional wine sales, human resources, finance, systems and technology, winemaking, succession planning and more) and gives us the edge in finding and recruiting exactly the right person for your organization.

We’re a proven team with proven success, a proven eight-step process and methodology. We’re privileged to enjoy long-standing relationships with many of our clients in part because of our track record of 98% successfully completed searches over 25 years, and because we do all the searches ourselves, never passing this critical work to others.

Filling positions at this level is about more than matching to skill sets and responsibilities. Our in-depth process finds an ideal match not only to the role, but to your mission, your business DNA and your long-term success.

We delve deep to understand your business and assess your organizational structure to help you determine your hiring goals, align them with your objectives, and identify critical success factors in terms of skills, experience and brand culture. Only after we have done that do we evaluate and select the professionals whose acumen, and hard and soft skills fit your strategy and culture.

We become your trusted team of advisors, including for navigating any sensitive situations. Our interactions and recommendations are based on decades of experience, and are always conducted with strict confidentiality.

We ask the hard questions of both parties so that no one is surprised.

We realize our efforts reflect on you. When done well, a search relays a positive message about your business within the industry. Throughout our search and recruitment efforts, we take great care in treating all those we interact with—your team, the candidates, the references, our network—with respect, and in conducting a sophisticated and professional process that speaks highly of your organization.

We measure success not by placement, but by your satisfaction in your new hire’s performance and fit. We warranty our work. If you are unhappy with a candidate you hired through The Cypress Group and terminate his/her employment within the first year, we’ll conduct a replacement search for no additional consulting fee.

We never underestimate the long-lasting profitability of a great hire, or the impact of a bad hire.

Fortunately, ‘professional’ doesn’t have to mean ‘boring’. In fact, we’ve found that the greatest innovations come with a sense of joy, humor and spirited debate. With The Cypress Group, the executive search process is impeccably professional and along the way, a bit of fun, too.