Revealing the leaders who set the course.
Cap Nord Partners combines the experience of an executive search consultant with that of a former Group HR Director at major international groups, to support your strategic hires and the development of your organisation.
“Two generations, one conviction: the lasting performance of an organisation rests above all on the quality of the women and men who lead it.”
Hands-on expertise. An executive's vision.
Cap Nord Partners was born when two complementary career paths came together: that of a recruitment and talent-mapping specialist and that of a former Group HR Director.
Jean-Yves Rémond
President & Sparring PartnerJean-Yves Rémond has more than 40 years of experience in Human Resources, including over 25 years on the executive and management committees of major international groups such as Euro Disney, Danone, Galeries Lafayette and Lactalis.
During eleven years as Group HR Director of the Lactalis Group, he gained an insider's view of one of the most remarkable family-owned ventures in French industry. Under the leadership of Emmanuel Besnier, Lactalis doubled in size within a decade, growing from around €15 billion to more than €32 billion in revenue through an ambitious strategy of organic growth and international acquisitions.
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In this role, he supported the integration of numerous companies around the world, helped structure HR teams in more than 50 countries, and helped the organisation evolve amid continuous growth, transformation and internationalisation.
This experience gave him a deep understanding of the human, organisational and cultural challenges that accompany phases of growth, transformation and succession within companies.
Throughout his career, he has developed recognised expertise in:
- leading international and multicultural organisations;
- human and cultural integration in contexts of external growth and post-M&A;
- large-scale organisational transformation;
- developing leaders, talent and succession plans;
- leading change in complex, multi-site environments;
- labour relations and supporting sustainable performance.
Raphaël Rémond
PartnerHe began his career recruiting strategy and organisation consultants before joining an Anglo-American firm, where he supported large groups, mid-market companies and family offices in their recruitment of managers and senior leaders.
Over time, he developed particular expertise in recruiting management roles within support functions, especially in environments marked by strong technological and transformation challenges. His approach combines market mapping, direct outreach and organisational analysis to identify the profiles most likely to succeed in a given context.
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Growing up with a father who was an HR director and a mother who was a psychotherapist no doubt shaped his view of organisations and individuals. This dual influence soon gave him a particular curiosity for human journeys, the motivations that drive each person, and the dynamics at play within a team.
In recruitment he found a profession at the crossroads of these two worlds: understanding organisations, how they work and what is at stake on one hand, and understanding personalities, motivations and individual paths on the other.
Throughout his career, he has developed recognised expertise in:
- identifying and attracting key talent;
- mapping talent markets and organisations;
- direct approach and assessment of management and executive profiles;
- business intelligence applied to human capital;
- recruiting transformation, strategy and leadership profiles;
- advising executives and HR teams on their talent and organisational challenges.
Finding the leaders your organisation needs.
We support the recruitment of managers and senior leaders through a dual expertise: companies' key functions and the sectors in which they operate.
Horizontal expertise
All executive and management functions.
Vertical expertise
Sectors in which we understand the challenges, the organisations and the talent that make the difference.
Executive search, enhanced by artificial intelligence.
In 2026, artificial intelligence opens up powerful new ways to analyse markets and organisations — provided you know how to interpret them.
At Cap Nord Partners, we treat it as a market-intelligence tool. It helps us get up to speed on a sector faster, read the forces shaping it, track how organisations are moving and anticipate the career moves that will shape tomorrow's hires.
This intelligence informs every assignment, letting us enter a market with a fuller picture before we make a single approach. The judgement calls — assessing candidates and building relationships with leaders — remain firmly with our partners.
Briefing
An in-depth conversation to understand your organisation, your culture and what the role really calls for. Entirely human.
Market intelligence & mapping
AI reads the wider landscape — restructurings, appointments, departures — and builds a comprehensive map of talent, in France and abroad.
Enhanced by AIDirect approach
A focused, personalised outreach plan, prepared with AI. Every conversation is then handled personally by one of our partners.
Enhanced by AIAssessment & integration
Assessment grounded in our partners' experience — skills, leadership, cultural fit — followed by support all the way through to onboarding.
Gain perspective from someone who has already been in your shoes.
Jean-Yves Rémond offers executives and HR directors more than 25 years of experience on the executive and management committees of major international groups. He acts as a Sparring Partner: a trusted sounding board, outside the organisation, to challenge a decision, prepare a transformation or support the development of an HR director or an executive.
- One-on-one coaching for executives and HR directors
- Support for taking up a new role or moving onto the executive committee
- Preparing transformations and reorganisations
- Human and cultural integration post-acquisition
What they say about us.
Raphaël Rémond supported me effectively on two particularly delicate recruitments. On the first, his ability to identify and present rare, very senior profiles in a very short time allowed me to finalise the hire immediately. On the second, beyond sourcing, he stood out for how attentively he listened and for his ability to subtly shift my thinking, even reframing the brief to arrive at a more relevant search. A high-value collaboration, combining high standards, sharp analysis and a genuine advisory mindset.
An excellent collaboration on key IT management hires across ERP & Cybersecurity. In a highly competitive market, Raphaël makes the difference through his tenacity, the quality of the profiles presented and his ability to challenge managers constructively. A reliable, results-oriented partner.
I had never recruited this type of profile. Finding a General Manager able to lead a recently acquired software company while fitting into the culture of a family-owned mid-market company was a new exercise for me. Raphaël guided me with method and clarity, from defining the need to the final choice. Two years on, the person hired is still in post and the integration is a success.
What changes over time is that I no longer need to explain everything again. Raphaël knows our culture, our requirements, what works for us and what doesn't. That accumulated knowledge translates directly into the quality of the profiles presented. And when I needed support on a recruitment I had never done before, he guided me with the same rigour. That's what a true partner is.
I had the opportunity to work with Raphaël on the recruitment of the Head of BI and on several SAP BRMs / business partners across the FICO, PP/QM and SD domains. He very quickly grasped the technical and business challenges specific to each of these scopes, which allowed him to present genuinely relevant profiles. I also appreciated his assertiveness and the professionalism of his follow-up throughout the process: responsiveness, regular check-ins and support. An effective, serious collaboration that I recommend without hesitation.
As a candidate, I felt supported at every stage — not merely assessed. Raphaël conveyed the company's values and brought to light qualities I couldn't always put into words myself. That kind of listening changes everything: you no longer feel judged, but recognised. That's what turns an interview into a real encounter.
What I particularly appreciated was that we thought it through together. Not a sales pitch, but genuinely working out together what I wanted next — what drove me, what made sense, what I could fully commit to. When it came to my decision, accepting a pay cut was not easy. That's where Raphaël made the difference — getting back in touch, arranging informal conversations outside the formal process, taking the time to talk about the future rather than the role. That discreet but constant follow-up helped me take the leap. Today I've returned to my home town, I work on the decarbonisation of industrial processes in a group committed to that transition, and I'm thriving.
Even before the first interview, Raphaël had given me a clear picture of the company, its culture and what it truly expected. Not a sales pitch — an honest reading of the situation, with its strengths and its complexities. That preparation allowed me to approach the process calmly, ask the right questions and picture myself in the role with clarity. When I accepted the position, I knew what I was getting into. Two years on, I'm still here — and I understand better than ever why that early groundwork makes all the difference.
Digital transformation of a regional insurance fund
Supporting a major regional fund in its digital transformation programme, against a backdrop of mass retirements among employees who had been in post for more than 30 years.
First Head of Data Science of a family-owned industrial group
Supporting the Group CIO of a family-owned industrial group in developing its Data Factory, and in particular the recruitment of its first Head of Data Science.
Structuring the Cybersecurity function of a large industrial group
In a fast-growing international industrial group, the Group CISO role existed but remained under-sized and poorly positioned within the organisation chart.
A trusted HR partner to a Group CIO over time
Supporting a Group CIO over the long term in building their management committee, through several successive confidential recruitments.
Executive search and the Sparring Partner, explained.
When should you turn to an executive search consultant rather than a traditional recruitment firm?
Traditional recruitment mainly consists of attracting and selecting candidates who are available or actively looking. Executive search follows a different logic: understanding a market, mapping talent and directly approaching the most relevant profiles, whether or not they are open to an opportunity.
This approach is particularly suited to strategic, confidential or hard-to-fill recruitments. It is especially relevant when a company is going through a phase of transformation: rapid growth, reorganisation, acquisition, divestment, the development of new markets or a change in ownership.
In these contexts, the quality and experience of the people who drive the change are often decisive. Executive search makes it possible to identify the talent best able to support these shifts and to secure decisions on high-impact roles.
How does an executive search consultant work?
An executive search assignment begins with an in-depth analysis of the role, the company and its challenges. From this understanding, the consultant maps the market to identify the most relevant companies, teams and talent.
Candidates are then approached directly and confidentially, then assessed on their background, their skills and their ability to succeed in the proposed context.
This methodology makes it possible to go beyond the candidates visible on the market and to reach profiles often absent from traditional recruitment channels. Only the most suitable candidates are presented to the company.
What is a Sparring Partner, and who is it for?
A Sparring Partner is a trusted sounding board, outside the organisation, who helps an executive or HR director challenge their decisions and gain perspective on the issues they face.
At Cap Nord Partners, this role is held by Jean-Yves Rémond, former Group HR Director of the Lactalis Group.
This support is mainly aimed at executives, members of executive committees and HR directors facing strategic decisions, transformations or complex human challenges.
Why does an executive need an outside perspective when they already have good people around them?
An executive is often surrounded by capable colleagues, partners, board members or external advisers. Yet some strategic decisions call for a space for reflection free from any hierarchical, political or operational consideration.
The Sparring Partner brings an experienced, independent and candid perspective. Their role is not to decide on the executive's behalf, but to challenge their thinking, test their assumptions and help them step back from their most sensitive issues.
Can you engage Cap Nord Partners solely for the Sparring Partner, without a recruitment?
Yes. The Sparring Partner is a form of support independent of recruitment: you can call on Jean-Yves Rémond for a one-off or regular conversation, without any recruitment assignment underway.
Let's talk about your next recruitment, or your next milestone.
You're hiring
An executive, a member of the executive committee, an entire team to build: tell us what you need and we'll get back to you quickly.
You're an executive or HR director
And you're looking for a Sparring Partner to challenge a decision or prepare a key milestone: Jean-Yves Rémond would be glad to talk.