Laid off after a 50% stock drop: a VP of Data's next role

Half of your company's value gets wiped out overnight. What do you do?

A restructuring that consolidated his role

This is exactly what happened with a VP of Data. His company was going through a major financial crisis, and as a result, the stock had dropped roughly 50% overnight. S&P Global had started raising concerns, and leadership moved quickly into survival mode. They reorganized the business, merged overlapping teams across regions, and began eliminating duplicate leadership roles. Since the company was headquartered in France, his responsibilities were consolidated under a peer in Paris, leaving him unexpectedly searching for his next opportunity.

When we first spoke, the layoff itself wasn't what frustrated him most. He'd already accepted that part. He had even begun working for his next move.

“I have been actively applying for jobs and I got a few calls. I thought I had a couple of opportunities, but at the last minute they didn't happen. Also, people say it's going to take a lot of time for executive roles.”

Instead of waiting for perfect conditions, he was willing to adapt. Depending on the company, he was open to Director or VP opportunities because he cared far more about finding the right business than protecting a title.

A career built from the technical layers up

What stood out to us was the career he'd built over the years. He had started in deeply technical roles, steadily moved into leadership, and built his expertise around data and technology. That kind of progression gives hiring managers confidence because they've seen every layer of the organization firsthand.

12 interviews and a VP of AI offer

Once he joined us, we took the job search off his plate. We rebuilt his positioning, targeted the right companies, reached hiring managers directly, and managed the entire search while he focused on interviewing.

Within three months, he'd landed 12 Director and VP-level interviews along with a VP of AI offer from a mid-sized healthcare company.

The market will always throw curveballs. Companies will restructure. Budgets will disappear. Stocks will crash. But once the dust settles, the leaders who have a process to consistently put them in front of the right decision-makers will thrive.

If you want to thrive but don’t know how, booking a call with us is a good start =)