Location strategy for a new R&D hub
Two shortlisted cities looked similar on paper; the client needed evidence to choose.
A multinational energy company had shortlisted two European cities for a new 80-person R&D centre focused on hydrogen and carbon capture technology. Both locations offered comparable infrastructure and government incentives, but the board needed talent data — not opinion — to break the tie.
What the client was up against
Both cities presented well on paper: strong universities, government incentives, established energy-sector presence, and reasonable cost of living. Internal opinions were split, and the board had been going back and forth for months without a clear basis for decision. The missing variable was talent — specifically, where the relevant engineers and scientists actually lived, what competitors were already established in each location, and what salary expectations looked like across both markets.
How Audentia solved it
Audentia conducted a comparative talent intelligence study across both cities and their 60-mile commuter radius over four weeks. We mapped the total addressable talent pool by discipline — chemical engineering, electrochemistry, process engineering, and environmental science — analysed competitor presence and headcount growth trends, benchmarked compensation at three seniority levels, and assessed university pipeline strength and graduate output in relevant fields. The final report included a risk-adjusted recommendation with a five-year talent availability forecast.
Results that lasted
The data revealed that City B had 2.3x the relevant senior talent pool despite a lower public profile in the energy sector. It also showed that two key competitors were quietly scaling operations in City A, which would have created direct hiring competition and salary inflation. The board selected City B within two weeks of receiving the report. The first 15 hires were completed within four months of site announcement — all sourced from the talent map delivered alongside the intelligence study.
Senior talent advantage in selected city
Study delivered in under a month
First hires within 4 months of announcement
Talent availability forecast included
The data made the board decision straightforward. We’d have spent another six months going back and forth without it.
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