Launching a new territory and building regional sales capability for KatKin

Founded in 2019, KatKin is a fast-growing, mission-driven pet nutrition brand. Focused on promoting cat wellbeing, KatKin is for uncompromising cat parents who want the best for their pets. 

Having established strong traction in London, the business was ready to scale regionally. The next stage of growth required boots on the ground in new territories, starting with the North West. This would be the company’s first regional leadership hire outside of the capital. 

KatKin needed to hire a Sales Team Lead to: 

• Launch and lead operations in the North West 
• Establish the brand in a new regional market 
• Hire and build a local team 
• Act as the cultural ambassador for the business outside HQ

The challenge to hire was threefold: 

1. The role was entirely new, with no precedent in the region 
2. The brief was initially broad and required refinement 
3. The business had never hired in this geography before

The brand needed guidance not only on candidate identification but on shaping the profile itself. 

KatKin chose to partner with 3Search because of our experience delivering similar territory-build projects within niche consumer markets. 

Sam delivered: 

• Market insight on the type of individual capable of building from scratch 
• Salary benchmarking and reward structuring guidance 
• Confidence in making the right first hire in a new region

His understanding of scale-up environments and regional sales leadership meant the search could be consultative, not transactional. 

The process began with extensive market conversations to refine the brief and define success criteria. Sam then delivered a clear interview structure, including rigorous initial screening to narrow a wide candidate pool and ensure the team only met appropriate candidates. 

3Search successfully placed a Sales Team Lead to spearhead KatKin’s North West expansion. 

This hire enables the brand to: 

• Establish KatKin’s presence outside London 
• Build and lead a regional team 
• Provide a scalable blueprint for further UK expansion

The appointment represents a key point in the company’s next growth phase.