Ariad × Saxo Bank: Exceeding Expectations in a Tough Talent Market

Client challenge 
Nearly a year of unsuccessful searching for a highly specific marketing profile (multilingual, autonomous, multi-format content expert).

Ariad’s solution
Full ownership of the recruitment process from sourcing to coordination, with ongoing refinement of the candidate profile.

Result
Placement of a candidate who exceeded the client’s expectations, even after an initial finalist withdrew.

One highly specific role. Nearly a year of searching. Traditional recruitment wasn't cutting it. Ariad was. Eddy van Geyte, then Head of Marketing at Saxo Bank Belgium and now CEO of Saxo Bank Netherlands, shares how it happened.

Saxo Bank Belgium operates as a subsidiary of Saxo Bank's Copenhagen headquarters, with local leaders responsible for their own recruitment and onboarding. 

For most roles, this works well. But for one particularly complex marketing position — requiring content expertise across multiple formats, strong autonomy, close cross-market collaboration, senior experience, and multilingual fluency — the search stalled for nearly a year. 

"It's a very tough business. It's not as easy as it seems. We spent nearly a year with no success — we just couldn't manage to find suitable candidates", says Eddy van Geyte.

Eventually, he turned to Ariad.

Where Ariad made the difference

From the moment Ariad received the profile description, the approach was hands-on. A call on a Friday evening to gather deeper context, candidates in the inbox within days. 

Beyond sourcing, Ariad handled the full recruitment process — interview scheduling, candidate follow-up, and all the administrative work in between, freeing Eddy to refocus on his team and broader marketing priorities.

"When Ariad joined, it relieved me from a lot of day to day hassle. I could return back to my other marketing priorities and my team."

As the search evolved, Ariad also helped refine the profile itself — adapting to new information and shifting priorities as more candidates entered the process. 

"It was a good journey for me to understand the right candidate profile even better along the way. The quality of the candidates was great, and soon we had two or three strong options to choose from."

Going the extra mile

When one candidate withdrew at the final stage (not uncommon in today's market) Ariad responded immediately with a new shortlist. 

The replacement turned out to be the strongest fit of all. "The quality of the candidate we have now is beyond my expectation. I'm more than convinced that they will be of great value for us — and that we can offer them a great adventure in their career."

What stood out wasn't just the speed, but the alignment in working style: proactive, direct, and genuinely invested in finding the right outcome. As a trusted partner, Ariad doesn't just fill a role, but helps shape it and consistently delivers results that exceed expectations.