# Senior leader appointment > A company has appointed a new head of operations, sales, finance, IT or another function, who is likely to review processes and suppliers in their first months. Source: https://www.fyadvisers.com/signals/senior-leader-appointment/ Author: FYAdvisers Last updated: 2026-10-06 - Category: People - Intent: Medium - Act within: After their first few weeks in role - Where to find it: [SGX Company Announcements](https://www.sgx.com/stock-exchange/company-announcements) (Free); [LinkedIn Sales Navigator](https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/sales-navigator/how-to-use-linkedin-sales-navigator) (Paid); [ACRA: buying a business profile](https://www.acra.gov.sg/resources/guides-forms/buying-a-business-profile/) (S$5.50 per profile) ## What this signal means A company has appointed a new person to lead a function: a head of operations, finance director, IT manager, sales director or similar. The appointment may come from outside or be a promotion. What matters is that one person now owns a set of decisions they did not own last month, and they will be looking at how things are done. ## Why it predicts a purchase New leaders are expected to make a difference, and the first few months are when they look hardest at existing processes, tools and suppliers. They often bring preferences from their previous company and have fewer loyalties to current vendors. A new finance director may revisit reporting tools. A new head of operations may review maintenance, logistics or cleaning contracts. The signal is strongest when the leader runs the function you sell into and when they came from outside, because outside hires have more reason to change things. ## Where to find it in Singapore - **Company announcements and LinkedIn.** The most common source. Companies announce senior hires in press releases and on their LinkedIn pages, and people update their own profiles. Free to read. - **[SGX Company Announcements](https://www.sgx.com/stock-exchange/company-announcements).** Free to search by company, date and category. Listed companies announce changes to key positions, and the feed shows filings as they are published, including appointment announcements and an "Announcement of Cessation" category for departures. Listed companies only. - **[LinkedIn Sales Navigator](https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/sales-navigator/how-to-use-linkedin-sales-navigator).** Paid. LinkedIn's guide says that once you save leads, Sales Navigator sends alerts when they make a move, like changing jobs, and suggests a Job Changes filter to find people who recently moved. - **ACRA records.** If the new leader is also appointed as a director, the change shows in ACRA records. ACRA sells a [business profile](https://www.acra.gov.sg/resources/guides-forms/buying-a-business-profile/) for S$5.50. Most heads of function are not directors, so see the [director change signal](/signals/director-change/) for when this applies. ## How to monitor it 1. **Follow your target accounts on LinkedIn** and watch their posts for appointment news. 2. **Save the current function heads** at key accounts in Sales Navigator, if you have it, so you hear when they leave and can look for their replacement. 3. **Check SGX weekly** for listed customers and prospects, searching by company name. 4. **Log the person, title, company, start date and source**, and set a reminder for a few weeks after their start date. ## How fast to act After their first few weeks in role, and ideally within their first three months. Writing on day one competes with every other congratulation and with a new leader's onboarding. Writing after six months risks missing the review entirely. A short, useful note in the second month often lands best. ## Example first message Illustrative example: > Subject: Your first months as head of operations > > Hi Siew Ling, congratulations on joining Harbourline Logistics as head of operations in August. New operations leads often review maintenance contracts in their first quarter. We maintain forklift fleets for warehouses in the west of Singapore and publish response times per site. Would a one-page summary of what a fleet review usually covers be useful? > > Regards, Jun Wei ## Pitfalls and rules - **Check the start date.** Announcements can come before or after the person actually starts. - **Confirm the person is still there.** LinkedIn profiles are not always updated quickly. - **Interim roles are weaker.** An acting head may not make lasting changes. - **Keep the tone professional.** Comment on the role, not on the person's career history. - **Check the outreach rules** in [B2B outreach in Singapore: what PDPA and the Do Not Call rules allow](/blog/b2b-outreach-pdpa-dnc-singapore/). FYAdvisers can track leadership changes at your target accounts and draft timely outreach for your approval through our [signal-based lead generation service](/services/signal-based-lead-generation/). ## Frequently asked questions ### How soon after an appointment should I contact a new leader? Usually after their first few weeks. Give them time to learn the business, but reach them before their reviews of suppliers and processes are finished. ### Do ACRA records show new heads of function? Only if the person is appointed as a director or another registered officer. Most heads of function are not, so announcements and LinkedIn are better sources. See the director change signal for what ACRA shows. ### Is a new CEO a good signal? It can be, but a CEO change affects everything at once and decisions may be delegated. A new head of the specific function you serve is usually a sharper signal.