search-consult Issue 27

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 1 M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

2006 / ISSUE 27

C

The International Executive Search Magazine Published by Dillistone Systems

Introducing:

“The Executive Search Practitioner” Conference

Christopher Beale Founder of Christopher Beale Associates

Nancy Garrison-Jenn Author of The Economist on the Search Industry

Simon Stephenson President of Stephenson Research Associates

Executive Search in India

HR Interview

Helen Haddon Process,Odgers Ray & Berndtson

Caroline Mills European Research Co-ordinator A.T.Kearney Executive Search

Christopher Mill Founder Christopher Mill & Partners /Penrhyn International

COMING UP IN FUTURE ISSUES:

www.search-consult.com French Executive Search Market

The Largest Search Firms in the World

SUBSCRIBE ON-LINE

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 2 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

The Largest Search Firms …

• The Hunt-Scanlon Global 25 Search Firms1 between them use FILEFINDER in over 100 locations • The two largest international Executive Search networks, based on the search-consult list2, use FILEFINDER in 25 locations.

The Most Efficient Search Firms …

• The Kennedy Information ERN Top 20 US Search Firm3 with the highest revenue per Partner / Consultant relies on FILEFINDER.

The Highest Regarded Search Firms …

• 3 of the Top 5 Search Firms in Japan use FILEFINDER4 • 3 of the Top 4 Search Firms in Asia (excluding Japan) use FILEFINDER5

The Most Search Firms …

• 8 out of the Top 10 Small Search Firms in the UK, as defined by The Grapevine Magazine6, use FILEFINDER • Each of the search-consult Top 5 Search Firms in Europe2 use FILEFINDER in at least one country.

• 100s of Search Firms in 47 countries across the world use FILEFINDER

...Use FILEFINDER

Why would your business use anything else?

Source: 1 Hunt-Scanlon Advisors’ 17th annual recruiting industry survey, Executive Search Review, March 2006 • 2 search-consult Magazine’s The largest Search Firms in the World annual survey, September 2005 • 3 The Kennedy Information Executive Recruiter News’ annual market analysis, March 2006 • 4 Top 5 search firms in Japan refer to Asiamoney Headhunters Poll, February 2006, P49 • 5 Top 4 search firms in Asia (excluding Japan) refer to Asiamoney Headhunters Poll, February 2006, P48 • 6 Executive Grapevine market share survey 2004 – 2005, The Grapevine Magazine, October 2005

To find out how your business can benefit, book your FREE demonstration TODAY! USA: +1 (201) 653-0013 UK: +44 (0)20 7749 6100 Germany: +49 (0)69 27 40 15 807 Australia/Asia: +61 2 9006 1194 Other Europe: +44 (0)20 7749 6100 sales@dillistone.com www.dillistone.com U S A

U K

G E R M A N Y

A U S T R A L I A

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 3 C

search-consult MANAGING DIRECTOR Jason Starr jason@search-consult.com EDITORIAL Pilar Gumucio editorial@search-consult.com PRODUCTION Margaret Jaouadi margaret@search-consult.com

ADVERTISING/SUBSCRIPTIONS/REPRINTS UK and Europe North and South America South East Asia and Australia Yann Le Leyour enquiries@search-consult.com or log on to www.search-consult.com

search-consult.com Calvert House, 5 Calvert Avenue London, E2 7JP, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 6102 Fax: +44 (0)20 7729 6108 www.search-consult.com

For manuscript/ photographic submissions, please e-mail our Editorial department or write to the address above to obtain author/ photographic guidelines.

M

Y

CM

S

E

MY

A

CY CMY

R

K

C

H

- W

E

L

C

O

M

E

Dear Reader Welcome to Issue 27 of search-consult, the International Executive Search Magazine, published by Dillistone Systems.

This is an exciting time for us and, if I may, I’d like to take a few lines in this editorial on what has been going on with our Group.

Of most interest to our readers – I hope – will be our first conference, “The Executive Search Practitioner”, taking place onboard HMS President, moored on the River Thames in London, UK on the 12th of October. This is our first such industry conference, and we’ve tried to do something a little bit different.

Firstly, the speakers at this event are primarily from the search industry – not from your clients. There are a large number of events – some of them very well regarded – which give search practitioners the opportunity to hear the thoughts of buyers of search services, directly from those buyers. We don’t wish to do that. Our speakers – with one notable exception – are people from within the industry; people who are rightly regarded as being ‘leaders’ in what they do.

The second key difference about this event is that we expect it to be international in nature. Of our early bookings, nearly 50% are from beyond the United Kingdom – and we’ve received bookings from the United States and both Eastern and Western Europe.

Our content is designed to meet the needs of an international audience – all our speakers have awareness of international search, most have cross-border responsibilities and all have been personally involved in completing international assignments.

See pages 12-15 for more information on what we hope will be a very popular event.

The other news which we need to report in this issue is that the Dillistone Group – publishers of search-consult magazine and parent of Dillistone Systems – suppliers of FILEFINDER software – has, this month, gone public. Our shares are now traded on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (DSG). Whilst this will not directly impact on the magazine, it will allow the Group to provide new services – such as the conference.

It will also allow us continue to develop both our FILEFINDER Executive Search Management System and the back-up service which we provide to our clients – starting with a free training service which we are launching for FILEFINDER users, followed by an enhanced format for our Global User Conference.

This is a big step forward for our Group and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our staff, our clients and the readers of search-consult for helping us reach this stage.

Your support is vital to our business, and is hugely appreciated.

Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you on the 12th of October!

search-consult is published by Dillistone Systems Ltd, Calvert House, 5 Calvert Avenue, London, E2 7JP, United Kingdom and printed by Mr. Bloom Ltd, Sopot, Poland, www.mrbloom.com.pl.

All statements, opinions, and expressions are the sole responsibility of the authors and the Publishers reserve the right to amend/alter articles as necessary. The Publishers cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage, however caused, of any materials supplied. Any materials supplied may not always be returned. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without prior written consent of the Publishers.

Jason Starr Jason@dillistone.com

"The Executive Search Practitioner" Conference 12 October 2006 London, UK Limited availability - book TODAY!

© Copyrights 2006 Dillistone Systems Ltd

For details how to book turn to page 15 or visit www.search-consult.com/events

ISSUE 27 2006 search-consult

3

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 4 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

Recruitment Intelligence Perriam and Everett was started in 1992 by people who still work in the business. Uniquely, we recruit for the human capital sector itself. That means we place recruiting and resourcing professionals into boutique search and selection companies, global Tier One search firms, international staffing businesses and corporate recruitment functions.

We are only as good as the candidates we place and the clients we work with. That’s why leading employers turn to us when they are looking to find professional recruiters to help them manage and acquire top talent.

Don’t be a human guinea pig, talk to the experts.

Call Aisling Tighe or Zena Everett on +44 (0)20 7405 7201 Or email basics@perriam-everett.co.uk www.perriam-everett.co.uk

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 5 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

S

E

K

A

R

C

H

- J

A

P A

N

A Booming Market:

By Simon Childs he Japanese economy is currently undergoing a period of substantial growth, and this has accelerated and intensified the search for top-notch bilingual Japanese and foreign talent. The increasing trend of Japanese companies to look externally for mid-career talent has further intensified competition for the many multinationals that operate offices in Japan.

The search market in Japan is still considered to be relatively immature. In fact, it was illegal to operate a recruiting practice prior to 1964 when an exception was made for managerial positions and for engineering roles. The first search firms had a very limited mandate and were only able to invoice at about 5% of the fees. Further deregulation followed in 1997 and again in 1999. Now, only search firms that can obtain a license are able to legally practice. These companies can then recruit for all positions, at whatever fees they can secure. The implementation of new privacy laws has encouraged search firms to improve their confidentiality levels and prevent costly information leaks.

T

NOW IS THE TIME In many respects today ’s Japan represents an ideal recruiting market:

Consulting fees - even at contingency levels - continues to average 30% except within the finance and investment banking community, which tend to be capped at 25% or have a maximum fee policy.

Japan’s “job for life” concept has now largely disappeared. Nomura Research Institute found in an Internet survey published in December 2005 and covering 1,000 employees in their twenties and thirties with companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, that only 18% intended to remain with their companies to retirement.

The Japanese Government reported the lowest unemployment rate in 7 years at 4.1% and the jobs to applicant ratio rose to 1.04, depicting a 14-year high.

Japan has an increasing pool of bilingual and open-minded Japanese – more than 40,000 were recorded as being enrolled in higher education in the US in 2004 according to the Institute of International Education (www.IIE.org).

All industry sectors in Japan have increased headcount in 2006 – the hottest sectors include banking, real estate, technology and healthcare. Most of the demand is for sales and technical personnel.

Salaries are rising with average new salary offers representing increases of 5-

10% compared with almost static inflation.

Average salaries for Japanese midmanagement in Tokyo are in the US$100150K ranges with senior expatriates here commanding total packages from $500k to $1m.

Tokyo has an excellent transport infrastructure system and most of the major multinationals have offices within a 30-minute commute of each other.

At the same time, companies are struggling to attract quality personnel and this is leading to longer working hours and increased burnout. This is particularly evident in the construction, banking, healthcare and legal sectors.

Search is a fast growing business in Japan. Figures supplied by JESRA (Japan Executive Search and Recruiters Association) show that 1,092 new licenses were added in 2004, up from 274 in 1999.

JESRA estimates that recruiting companies handled approximately 29% of all managerial job changes or in excess of 11,000 successful searches in 2004.

They further estimate the size of the market in 2004 at approximately JPY 96 billion or $825 million for the main categories they evaluated (managerial, sales, technical and administrative). It is important to point out that this figure accounts for the licensed firms. Therefore,

ISSUE 27 2006 search-consult

5

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 6 C

S

E

A

R

C

H

- J

A

P A

the real search market for all positions will likely be much more than a billion dollars for both contingency and retained search.

SEARCH FIRMS FLOCK TO JAPAN There has been no shortage of international search firms entering Japan.

The global players in retained search such as Heidrick & Struggles, Spencer Stuart, Korn/Ferry, Egon Zehnder and Russell Reynolds are well established and very active. Newer entrants such as Hudson, Robert Walters, Robert Half and Michael Page rub shoulders with independent boutique businesses, managed by westerners that offer a mix of retained and contingency search.

There is still a trend for the global firms to pick up assignments at the headquarter level but the local firms offering retained search are increasingly picking up higher end projects as they demonstrate effective local knowledge, more flexibility on retained fee structures and project greater brand awareness. These companies include CDS, Ingenium, and Oak Associates.

Local Japanese search firms do very little quality retained search because they often do not have sophisticated databases, and are generally playing catch up in these areas. The bigger, publicly listed businesses such as Pasona, Recruit and Intelligence focus on the mass market as there are no locally listed search firms that only do retained search.

The focus for the international search firms thus far has been on serving multinational clients. Most of the search market is concentrated in Tokyo where there are 5,000 plus registered foreign capital companies. Some larger foreign capital businesses in Japan act with arrogance, and become complacent, relying too much on the brand name without paying attention to other ways to attract talent in a candidate-driven market. A long, cumbersome interview process often hampers them. It is often the smaller to mid-size companies that are reacting quicker, offering more customized and effective recruiting solutions.

6

search-consult ISSUE 27 2006

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

N

A number of the western, locally managed search firms are starting to service the Japanese domestic client market. This is where the real growth exists as more and more Japanese companies open up to mid-career hires, and change their seniority-based wage structures to performance-based to better compete with the multinationals.

Simon Childs

There has been an up tick in M&A activity in recent years and this has brought Japanese multinationals such as Nissan, Japan Telecom, and several Japanese banks and finance institutions into contact with western management styles. Japanese firms are placing an increased importance on the use of English and other languages, particularly Chinese as well as business and cultural skills acquired overseas or through work with western firms in Japan. This in turn is fueling the demand for search firms to support mid-career hires, particularly in Japanese venture start-ups and with some of the more western-minded multinationals. Board level positions in the larger Japanese companies still tend to be filled internally and through personal connections in the market. One notable exception was in May 2005 when the TSE listed Daiei retail chain appointed Ms Hayashi Fumiko as Chairman and CEO. She was the former President of BMW Japan.

At the same time, there is still a very important role for expats to play in Japan since many of the foreign capital firms here still prefer their top executives to come from abroad. Although a growing number of clients are insisting on Japanese language skills and familiarity with the local market, there is still evidence that does not preclude expatriates being sent over with little or no local knowledge. In those cases, success depends on how culturally sensitive the individual is and his ability to surround himself with talented Japanese top management who will help guide him in his early years, and be comfortable with him taking care of the pressures that HQ place on him to effectively perform. In fact, European companies - particularly German, Italian and French - tend to have more expatriate heads than their American counterparts.

WHAT IS UNIQUE Fortunately, the right conditions for Executive Search in Japan are taking root. At the same time, nevertheless, it is important to highlight some of the unique challenges that search consultants in Japan must deal with on a daily basis. For example, what the Japanese call 'giri' or a sense of obligation to their current employer, boss, or their customers often prevents them from leaving their jobs in favour of better prospects. Another illustration involves never being able to estimate the power of the Japanese wife in influencing her husband’s career. A candidate declined an attractive offer to leave IBM to take a board level position in a US start-up - famous at the global level but not in Japan – because his wife was told it would damage their daughter’s chance of entering the kindergarten of their choice. A final, yet important, example is that some candidates will only commit to signing or joining on an auspicious day ('taian') as determined by astrology and local customs. These are obviously unique challenges search consultants in Japan must take into account when persuading

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 7 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

S

candidates to join their clients’ companies.

When hiring, it is critical that the client and consultant both remember that some Japanese candidates have been quick to exploit the relatively poor levels of background checking exercised by foreign companies and search firms alike. As a result, a significant number of candidates fake data on résumés or fudge achievements. Other mistakes in hiring are made when western interviewers are taken in by a candidate’s smooth talk in English and the connection they make with the Japanese candidate’s overseas experiences, overlooking other candidates with less English fluency but more solid local credentials.

These concerns must also be taken into

account as they can make all the difference in selecting the most appropriate candidates for our clients.

In sum, Japan is the second largest economy in the world and no company or search firm can claim they are truly global without an operation here. With the economy showing significant improvements, greater mobility of the workforce and increased acceptance of western business practices, it should continue to remain a lucrative search market for many years to come.

www.search-consult.com For more information visit: Web: www.cds-consulting.com

E

K

A

R

C

H

- J

A

P A

N

Simon Childs: Managing Director of CDS Simon co-founded CDS in Tokyo in 1998 with his business partner Jason Dacaret. CDS focuses on senior-level search in the Technology, Consumer Goods and Healthcare sectors and has a team of more than 30 bilingual Japanese and international consultants, research and support staff. Most of the current work is focused on search for the foreign capital multinationals and startups although an increasing amount of retained business is now coming from Japanese companies.

Simon spent his early career in Hong Kong, including 10 years with the Royal Hong Kong Police where he led teams in Commercial Crimes Bureau as well as VIP Protection Unit.

He also worked as an Operations Manager for a Hong Kong-based British Trading Company dealing in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Prior to CDS, he was the Vice President of a Japanese search firm.

Simon is originally from the UK. He has a B.A. from the University of East Anglia and a postgraduate Management and Business Diploma from Henley School of Management.

For further information, please contact Simon at childs@cds-consulting.com.

Executive Search Events 2006 EREC Accord Group Global Partners’ Meeting AIMS Global Partners’ Meeting IESF Global Conference ER Expo Boyden EMEA Conference World Search Group Annual General Meeting IIC Partners' Annual General Meeting Executive Search Workshops “The Executive Search Practitioner” Conference For more information visit www.search-consult.com/events Dillistone Systems FILEFINDER Global User Conference Annual IRC Conference Boyden Asia/Pacific Conference IACPR Global Conference Hunt Scanlon Leadership Forum Alexander Hughes Business Managers Meeting Kennedy Information Executive Search Summit Boyden Americas Conference Stanton Chase International Partners’ Meeting Recruiting 2006 Conference & Expo Executive Search Workshops Executive Search Workshops

JUNE: 21-22 23-24 JULY: 6-8 SEPTEMBER: 6-9 12-14 14-17 20-23 OCTOBER: 4-6 10-11 12 13 12-13 14-16 15-17 18-19 20 26-27 28-30 NOVEMBER: 2-4 8-9 9-10 13-14

London, UK Prague, Czech Republic Chicago, IL, USA Moscow, Russia Miami, FL, USA St. Petersburg, Russia Chicago, IL, USA Rio de Janeiro, Brazil London, UK London, UK London, UK Shanghai, China Goa, India New York, NY, USA New York, NY, USA London, UK New York, NY, USA Miami, FL, USA Sydney, Australia New York, NY, USA New York, NY, USA Chicago, IL, USA

- see FILEFINDER at this event. Tell us about your events: editorial@search-consult.com

ISSUE 27 2006 search-consult

7

Talent Acquisition and Development Worlwide

www.aims-international.net

W

Identify the right talent

O

Motivate and develop talent

Copyright Š AIMS International 2006, all rights reserved.

ith a global organization of over 80 offices focused on Search and Selection, we are able to target and approach the most appropriate talent.

ur 350+ consultants provide the most appropriate HR solutions to meet your company’s business objectives; these include Assessment, Career Transition, Change Management, Climate Surveys, Coaching, Compensation & Benefits Surveys, Development Centres, HR Audit, Interim Management, Leadership Development, Performance Management, Remuneration Consulting, Succession Planning andTraining.

W

Build strong relationships

e build strategic partnerships with our clients by delivering the best solution in a timely and responsive manner.

For further information, please contact AIMS Marketing and Sales at ms@aims-international.net

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 9 C

M

S

Y

E

CM

MY

A

CY CMY

R

C

K

H

- M

I

N

O

R

I

T

Y

Corporate Diversity:

Evolution Success

By Lisa Gerhardt

“In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of the their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment.”

Charles Darwin, The Origin of the Species

“S

urvival of the fittest"…it's a cliché that's taken for granted, invoking images of huge Galapagos turtles and dusty Victorian butterfly collections. Darwin's theory of successful survival is Natural Selection, an evolutionary process that favors helpful genetic mutations, and limits harmful ones. Creatures that possess a beneficial trait either attract mates more easily, or simply survive in greater numbers. Then, such traits are passed on to increasingly large numbers of individuals with each successive generation. All told, Natural Selection provides evolved populations with the ability to succeed in their unique environments Desert environments are an ideal example of this fascinating process. In A r i z o n a , t h e P i m a a n d To h o n o O'Odham tribes are genetically programmed to survive in that baking hot and bone dry climate; their bodies contain a "thrifty gene" which allows them to put on weight very efficiently

during the desert's times of plenty, so they can get through the famine times.

(As post-WWII modern times have introduced these tribes to a sedentary lifestyle complete with fatty, salty and processed foods, this once-helpful gene now predisposes them to a disproportionately higher incidence of diabetes and obesity, but that is a discussion for another time).1 Now think about a world that contains a variety of "the fittest" genes, species and ecosystems. Thanks to these kinds of thrifty, or redundant genes, each being can be a resource to be tapped as human needs transform. Ecosystems that contain many creatures are more resilient overall, as redundant systems can kick in when there are environmental, economic and cultural stresses such as drought, habitat degradation and war. But the greatest value to be realized in the pure diversity of life on earth is the opportunities it presents, as though the "sum were greater than the parts."2

Darwin, genetics, environmental adaptation…there are many valuable lessons here that can be extrapolated to hiring practices at corporations as well as in the evolution of the boardroom. A boardroom and corporation pursue workplace diversity as "a strategic organizational response to the globalization of business activities and the growing multiculturalism and marketplaces," as observed by Dr. Jeffrey Gandz, a professor at the Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario, in his fall 2001 study.3 He continues, "Diversity in the future will be driven by the imperatives of c o m p e t i t i v e n e s s , d e m o g r a p h y, immigration, and globalization, and these will supercede the social activism and legislative interventions of the past."4 The more diverse your management and, by extent, your staff, the richer the pool of ideas ("thrifty genes") you'll have available to meet a changing ISSUE 27 2006 search-consult

9

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 10 C

S

E

A

R

C

H

- M

I

N

O

marketplace, enter new markets and solve business problems. The more open your company is to internal change, the better prepared you will be to survive adversity and produce creative strategies for the future. This article will talk about diversity in the boardroom, what it is and why it's smart business, and how diversification is being handled and legislated throughout the world.

WHAT IS DIVERSITY? Sex, color, shape and size…these are the obvious, inherited traits that make us different. All of this inherited genetic material in the chromosomes of any particular organism is called the genome. And the human genome sequence is almost (99.9%) exactly the same in all people. 5 That means we are, by far, more the same than different. So how does a boardroom achieve diversity? In addition to that .1% variant left over in a genome, external factors have their say. Culture, religion and life experience all inform a person's contributions to the population of the world, or of a boardroom. Diversity, then, starts with the obvious traits, and continues by looking at a person as a whole being, considering background, knowledge base, achievements, problem-solving successes, etc. It's as if the boardroom itself is a being,

R

I

T

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

Y

and its inhabitants are the genetic material that contains the traits necessary to enable the boardroom, the business, to survive and succeed.

DO YOU SPEAK "CUSTOMER"?

Business opportunities abound in what really can't be referred to as "minority markets" anymore.

According to the United States Department of Commerce, the population of non-whites in America is expected to increase by 169% between 1995 and 2050, while the population of people of Caucasian descent is expected to rise by just 7%.6 To tap the potential of emerging markets such as China, India, Russia and the oil-rich Middle East, global enterprises need to have personnel with specific ethnic backgrounds, combined with corporate experience to provide the business and cultural knowledge needed to succeed in a global market structure.

Furthermore, gender diversity is equally compelling from a business success standpoint. The statistics that justify both integrating corporate management and also marketing specifically to women are extremely persuasive: • Women buy or influence at least 80% of all household spending. That

includes 51% of consumer electronics and 75% of all over-thecounter drugs.

• In the corporate arena, they are increasingly more visible as purchasing managers, an area long dominated by men. In fact, the number of female registrants at national purchasing shows doubled between 1999 and 2004.

• Women are the primary consumer decision maker in 85% of all households.

• Women are expected to acquire 94% of the growth in U.S. private wealth between now and 2010.

• Women make 69% of all household health decisions.

• Women make 81% of the decisions about groceries.

• Women made up 60% of the online population in 2005.

• Women accounted for 62% of all workers in 2005. 7 Yet the comparative numbers of female directors is quite low:

Comparative Percentages of Women Directors (by country)9

Country

Number of Companies with Women Directors

Percentage of Companies With at Least One Women Director

Total Number of Directors

Total Number of Female Directors

Percent of Female Directors

U.S.1

500

432

86.4%

Canada2

500

241

48.2%

Australia3

300

141

47%

2,345

251

10.7%

U.K.5

56

38

67.8%

610

61

10%

Africa4

355

46.5%

2,851

306

10.7%

Spain

300

72

24%

2,486

115

4.6%

Japan7

2,396

72

3%

43,115

81

0.2%

South

10

Number of Companies

search-consult ISSUE 27 2006

5,771

779

13.6% 11.2%

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 11 C

M

S

In some countries, diversity is the law.

Governments have actually put legislation in place to ensure that top positions in companies will be opened to minorities.

For example, in 2003, the government of Norway declared war on the cozy oldboys' network that runs Norwegian business, and initiated a plan requiring Norway's 650 public companies to appoint women to at least 40% of all board seats. At the time of the initiative, women were holding just 7.5% of board positions -- high by European standards, but embarrassing to officials proud of Norway's egalitarian heritage. There, women have held about 40% of government posts since 1981, when the country's first female prime minister took power. In addition, women make up 60% of university students. And of course, in Viking times, women ran the farms while the men plundered abroad.9,10 Following in Norway's footsteps, Spain's National Stock Market Commission (CNMV) will oblige Spanish companies to explain why they have so few women directors and outline what steps they are taking to remedy the situation. Companies will also be required to publish the number and percentage of women in top management positions and other job categories. At present, Spanish women are almost invisible in senior management, and hold only 2% of Spanish directorships. The goal is to modernize and diversify Spanish boardrooms, and compel companies that care about their reputation to adopt best practices in their fields.11 In some countries, employment law

Y

CM

E

MY

A

CY CMY

R

protects majorities rather than minorities, allowing previously disadvantaged majority groups to catch up. In Malaysia, for example, the Bumi Putra form the majority of the population and receive special legal protection and favor; as do native Saudis and majority ethnic groups in large parts of Africa. South Africa has strong "Black Empowerment" laws. Brazil has introduced laws requiring that 20% of the workers on outsourced government jobs be Brazilians of African ethnic origin.12 The intrinsic value of diversity in a company is the multiplicity of ideas and educational cultural exchange it brings - whether it's brought upon by desire or legislation. Extrinsically, the market potential in former "minority markets" is virtually unlimited.

GONE FISHIN' Imagine that you're going fishing, and your party suggests that you return to the same place that you've gone year after year. It's really good fishing, so you're comfortable going back every year -- you know the best spots to fish, and you know the fish.

But what would happen if you fished in a few different ponds? You would experience the wonder of a new place, the intrigue of catching new types of fish, and best of all, experience the taste of new types of fish. You will actually get some pretty great fish.13 Now take this bucolic fishing story and adapt it to the hiring practices of many corporations. Fishing in the same place is essentially what many companies do

C

K

H

- M

I

N

O

R

I

T

Y

when considering hiring new managers, executives and directors. They fish from the same pools or groups year after year.

If you fish in a variety of ponds, however, you can tap into the benefits and resources that each pond and fish has to offer.

Today, many companies have "diversity initiatives" that govern their hiring practices. Companies that serve clients, such as law firms or advertising agencies, develop policies based on the goals of their clients, choosing staffers for their industry expertise and educational credentials just as much as for the diverse cultural, economic, social, and personal backgrounds that they share with those clients.

Other types of organizations, that rely on outside suppliers for support, have found that developing a strong base of diverse suppliers contributes to customer loyalty, stimulates economic development in their local region, and taps into the innovation and entrepreneurship needed to win in a competitive marketplace.14 In this way, both supply and demand drives where and how they do business, inviting the business success that comes from loyalty of both customers and employees.

A L L S E A RC H E S S H O U L D B E DIVERSITY SEARCHES Boyden views diversity hiring not as a corporate obligation, but as an opportunity for improved top-line growth and profitability. For many years we have been advising on and conducting diversity searches -- at first by helping

Think your application needs a data centre?

Think outside the data centre – think SQL AnywhereŽ With over 1,000 application partners building solutions with SQL Anywhere and over 9 million seats deployed, SQL Anywhere from iAnywhere has a reputation you can rely on.

Delivering out-of-the-box high performance for desktop, server, remote ofďŹ ce and mobile environments, SQL Anywhere is an easy-to-use, robust and reliable selftuning, self-optimising database.

SQL Anywhere requires minimal DBA support and offers Web servers and other enterprise features at low cost. Dillistone Systems selected SQL Anywhere for its

FILEFINDER Executive Search Software due to its high performance, low maintenance and low cost.

Learn more about the award-winning data management solution that is trusted by 12,000 customers worldwide, by visiting www.ianywhere.com Get your free SQL Anywhere Developer Edition CD and join the 20,000 developers worldwide who are already using it, by e-mailing: jray@ianywhere.com or calling: +44 (0) 1628 597061.

ISSUE 27 2006 search-consult

11

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 12 C

S

E

A

R

C

H

- M

I

N

O

companies meet legal requirements and, more recently, by helping them enjoy the advantages that a diverse workplace can bring. When a client asks for a consultant from a "minority" background to undertake a diversity assignment, our answer is that all of our searches are structured to provide the professionalism and judgment needed to help companies build executive leadership -- by definition, a diversity search -- no matter who the consultant.

Boyden has long-standing experience in recruiting for these often-sensitive positions. We have intimate knowledge of our clients' needs, a practiced ability to identify and reach minority candidates, and a global presence with multiple locations around the world. In this way, we identify and recruit talented, high performance managers whose nationality, ethnic, gender and other characteristics can add to a company's competitive edge.

IS YOUR COMPANY READY TO EVOLVE? From developing an initial diversity policy to conducting a diversity search, Boyden Global Executive Search helps companies make changes required to successfully conduct business in today's increasingly competitive and global environment.

For more information on diversity searches, please contact your local Boyden office through our Web site, www.boyden.com. We will be happy to discuss your needs in detail, whether you're establishing an in-house diversity

R

I

T

CM

MY

CY CMY

search process or pursuing specific diversity search assignments. The world -- and "the fittest" -- are waiting for you.

K

4

SOURCES 5 1 Scientific American Frontiers, a program on PBS. "Fat and Happy," show #1110, premiere date May 1, 2001.

2 Department of the Environment, Sports and Territories, Commonwealth of Australia "Biodiversity and Its Value," Biodiversity Series, Paper #1, 1993.

3 Jeffrey Gandz, A Business Case for Diversity, Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, p. 5 (54 pages; updated fall 2001), at www.equalopportunity.on.ca 4 Jeffrey Gandz, A Business Case for Diversity, Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, p. 5 (54 pages; updated fall 2001), at www.equalopportunity.on.ca 5 The Human Genome Project Information Web site, a publication of the U.S. Department of Energy, Human Genome Project, March 2003. www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Geno me/publicat/primer2001/ .shtml 6 Association of Executive Search Consultants, "33% of Senior Executives Not Satisfied with Company's Commitment to Diversity," press release, July 28, 2005.

7 Small Business Services, "Women are more than a market," Volume 14, ©2001 Executive Editor, Cathy Walter Gillick, www.sba.gov 8 Corporate Women Directors International, www.globewomen.com, home page Sources: 1 Based on data in the 2003 Catalyst Census “Women Board Directors of the Fortune 500" 2 Information from the 2003 Catalyst Census of Women Board Directors of Canada's Financial Post 500.

3 Information from the 1999 CWDI Report: Women Board Directors of Australian

magazine web: www.search-consult.com e-mail: enquiries@search-consult.com search-consult ISSUE 27 2006

Y

Y

subscribe to

12

M

7

8

Companies, publication of Corporate Women Directors International.

Information from the 2005 South African Women in Corporate Leadership (Catalyst with the Businesswomens' Association of South Africa) Based on data in EPWN European Board Monitor 2004 Information from the 1998 CWDI Report: Women Board Directors of Japanese Companies, publication of Corporate Women Directors International. Data for 2,396 companies listed in Japanese stock exchanges. The 842 OTC companies in the report were excluded from the comparison because information for the U.S., U.K., and Canada include only the equivalent of the Japanese listed companies

9 CareerJournalEurope.com, Charles Goldsmith, "Norwegian Firms Seek Women Executives For Boards," from the Wall Street Journal online, February 8, 2006.

10 News of Norway, Carrie Seim, Medill News Service, "Closing the Corporate Gender Gap," June 6, 2003, www.norway.org.

11 The Financial Times, Leslie Crawford, "Spain Looks to Modernize and Diversity its Boardrooms," January 18 2006.

12 Wall Street Journal, 12/27/01 13 Diversity Monitor, "L'Oréal's Diversity Officer Explains the Importance of an Effective Diversity Strategy," Interview with Edward W. Bullock, Vice President, Diversity, L'Oréal USA with Dale Zupansky, editor-in-chief, volume 6, number 9, November 2005, page 6.

14 Diversity Monitor, "BellSouth Honored for its Supplier Diversity Program," volume 6, number 10, December 2005, Briefs, page 8

www.search-consult.com For more information visit: Web: www.boyden.com

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 13 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

Executive Search

Practitioner

Conference HMS President, Victoria Embankment, London, 12 October 2006 Sponsors:

www.search-consult.com SUBSCRIBE ON-LINE

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 14 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

The Global Executive Search industry is no longer purely the US, Germany and the UK. Today, retained executive search services are provided in at least 47 countries worldwide – and by an estimated 11,000 firms, small and large.

A global industry needs a global event; an event where practitioners from around the World can meet, learn about trends and new concepts in Search.

The Executive Search Practitioner is that event. A packed day focussing on three specific themes – Global Trends in the Search Market; Operational Issues in running a successful Search business, and Implementing Global Assignments.

Christopher Beale is Founder of Christopher Beale Associates; a well regarded UK Search Firm. From 2001-2006 Christopher was also Chairman of the Institute of Directors – the UK’s Professional Body of Business Leaders.

Nancy Garrison-Jenn, Author of The Economist Intelligence Unit Books on the Search Industry.

In addition to her writing, Nancy consults for groups such as AIG, Chanel, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Estée Lauder, Goldman Sachs, KAO, KPMG, LVMH, Philips, Viacom on how to use Search firms.

Simon Stephenson is President of Stephenson Research Associates, which specialisys in senior level executive research, and also Co-Chair of the Executive Research Association – Europe’s leading professional association for Researchers. He has also developed a training team which provides research development for a variety of in-house and independent researchers and consultants.

He has written widely about the research process and the future direction of the industry.

Helen Haddon, Director of Quality and Process, Odgers Ray & Berndtson Helen has worked in the Executive Search industry for 9 years. Since January 2005 she has been responsible for Quality at Odgers Ray & Berndtson. Prior to this she was Head of Global Information Management and Support at Egon Zehnder International.

Caroline Mills, European Research Co-ordinator, A.T. Kearney Executive Search Caroline Joined A.T. Kearney at the beginning of 2001 having previously been with Heidrick & Struggles as Head of Information for the UK and latterly for Europe.

Caroline acts as Data Controller for ATKES and represents the firm on the Association of Executive Search Consultants Data Protection Committee. Caroline is a winner of the H.W. Wilson prize for services to the Information Industry.

Christopher Mill, Founder, Christopher Mill & Partners / Penrhyn International. A winner of the Gardner Heidrick Award for outstanding contribution to the profession and former Chair of the International Committee of the AESC, Christopher is recognized for the International nature of his work. He has filled positions throughout Europe, in Asia, in North America, Australia and in Africa and rarely undertakes a single country assignment.

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 15 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

OPERATIONAL ISSUES

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Conference Agenda 8.30

REGISTRATION

9.00

Welcome

9.15

State of the Industry Christopher Beale, Founder of Christopher Beale Associates Christopher will track the industry - on both sides of the Atlantic, from its early beginnings up to the present time.

Search firms all confront the challenges faced by business at the outset of the 21st Century - challenges which develop with increasing rapidity and which bear little relation to those of a decade past. He will pose some, perhaps uncomfortable questions, as he holds a mirror to the world of Executive Search and asks the industry to reflect upon the degree to which it is truly proactive; whether its much vaunted client focus really does stand up against self interest and whether the Search practitioners of today pay any heed to a history, sometimes less than glorious, that may be irrelevant - or on the other hand, just as likely to repeat itself.

10.05

Global Trends in Executive Search Nancy Garrison-Jenn, Author of The Economist Intelligence Unit Books on the Search Industry Nancy’s wide ranging presentation will cover all aspects of the industry – from the key players and the key markets, through the importance of branding and marketing, opportunities for diversification and offshoring all the way to consistency of standards and training within the industry. This presentation will be followed up by a questions and answers session which will provide delegates with the rare opportunity to discuss the industry with an impartial and unbiased, expert observer.

10.55

BREAK Networking and visit to sponsors

11.10

The Search Value Chain Simon Stephenson, President of Stephenson Research Associates and Co-Chair of the Executive Research Association Simon will talk us through the Search value chain and will discuss how Search firms create value for clients. He will then go on to discuss how this value chain can be broken up – and the opportunities that this can create for both the Client and the Search Firm.

10.55

Sponsor Presentation FILEFINDER from Dillistone Systems

12:10

Quality in Search Helen Haddon, Director of Quality and Process, Odgers Ray & Berndtson Helen believes that quality in the Search process is achieved by design, not accident. Whether you are a small or large organization, there is no doubt that having a well managed and maintained database is a key tool. However to achieve a consistently high-level of quality across your business, quality needs to be built into all your processes and dealings with candidates, sources and clients. This presentation will explore at the key links in the quality chain with the goal of helping you identify your weakest link.

13:05

LUNCH Networking and visit to sponsors

14.15

Legal and Ethical Issues in Global Search Caroline Mills, European Research Co-ordinator, A.T. Kearney Executive Search Caroline will cover the legal and ethical issues involved in undertaking international assignments. Her session will cover issues such as candidate rights, confidentiality issues, reference checking and discrimination – this highly interactive presentation will provide delegates with a practical overview of what you can and can not do and say in different markets.

15.05

Global Search - Practicalities of Working Internationally Christopher Mill, Founder, Christopher Mill & Partners / Penrhyn International Having completed assignments on every continent, Christopher will use practical case studies to look at the issues involved in doing a Search in another country, in another country for a client in a third country, or a global Search. He will consider the alternative approaches and discuss the benefits and pitfalls of each. Even Consultants experienced in international work will find that this case-based presentation will have a lot to offer.

16.00

Closing Remarks, Drinks Reception on Deck (weather permitting – otherwise in bar area) Networking and visit to sponsors

GLOBAL SEARCH

For up-to-minute information on the Executve Search Practitioner Conference please visit our website www.search-consult.com/events of send an email to enquiries@search-consult.com

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 16 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

About the venue Step aboard the historic HMS President (1918) for the ultimate event experience on the River Thames, in the heart of the City of London. Moored on the Embankment next to Blackfriars Bridge, HMS President boasts spectacular views of the river as well as some of London's most famous landmarks such as the London Eye, The South Bank Centre, The National Theatre, St Paul's Cathedral, and The Tate Modern.

This unique venue is located in Central London and is easily accessible from public transport.

"The Executive Search Practitioner" Conference - 12 October 2006 DELEGATE BOOKING FORM If you would like to attend the Executive Search Practitioner Conference, please complete and send this booking form accompanied by the payment to the following address: SEARCH-CONSULT.COM Calvert House 5, Calvert Avenue London E2 7JP, UK Or if paying by credit card, please FAX it back to us on +44 (0)20 7729 6108 or +1 (201) 221-7518 Yes, I would like to attend the Executive Search Practitioner Conference - 12 Oct 2006 ..............................................................……. (number of people attending)

x £249 / $435 / €365 = ............................................…….

Delegate(s) name(s), job title(s) and dietary requirements: .…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………............. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

+ VAT (17.5%) = ............................................…….

Total = .............................................…….

I enclose a cheque (made payable to: search-consult) for the above amount.

Please charge my:

Visa

MasterCard

Card Number: .................................…..............................………….. Exp: .............…............ Security Code: ...................….........

(Last 3 digits from the signature strip)

Name: .............................................................................................................…………… Company: ...................................................................................................................................…………….

Job Title: ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Address: ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

City/ State/ Zip: .............................................................................. Post Code: .............................................................................. Country: ..............................................................................

Phone: ........................................................................................................ E-mail: .....................................................................................................................................................................................

Signature: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PLACES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED. PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLY BOOKINGS ACCOMPANIED BY PAYMENT ARE VALID. Terms and Conditions: 1. Conference cancellations must be received in writing up to 1 September 2006 and will be subject to an administration fee of £50/$90/€70 + VAT per event.

2. We regret that conference cancellations received after this time cannot be accepted and will be liable for the full fee.

3. Conference delegate replacements can be made at any time, however we do require confirmation of the new attendee’s name for security reasons.

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 17 C

S

E

A

R

C

H

- M

E

R

G

E

R

M

Y

S

CM

MY

CY CMY

&

A

C

K

Q

U

I

S

I

T

I

O

N

S

Mergers & Acquisitions

andSearch Industry

olf Heeb founded the IFM Institut für Managementberatung GmbH in Neuss in 1984 after having worked close to 7 years in Chicago and Düsseldorf for the management consulting division of the former Arthur Andersen organization and for 4 years as Managing Director of one of the top German Management and HR Consulting firms (Baumgartner & Partner, Sindelfingen).

From the very beginning, the IFM has specialized in Strategic Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions and Executive Search. With this unusual scope of business segments, the IFM is able to serve clients from 4 offices (Neuss, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart) in Germany in almost all matters relating to a pre and/or post Merger & Acquisition situation. For more than 20 years, the IFM has developed very structured processes for successful M&A projects, including the difficult integration phase after a Merger or Acquisition has taken place.

Rolf Heeb is also Managing Director of AIMS Internation Germany GmbH, which is a sister company of IFM. He is Vice President and Head of the EMEA Region of AIMS International Management Search, Vienna now for more than three years. search-consult interviewed Rolf Heeb, a prominent management consultant with more than 30 years worth of extensive international experience in Strategic Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions and Executive Search, in order for him to explain how M&A can affect the retention and

R

attraction of top management and what impact this can have on the Executive Search industry.

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) remain a key strategic tool for growth, and organizations cannot ignore the opportunities that M&A offers them as a means to expand their operations and remain competitive.

Rolf Heeb

Across the global economy, industries are facing an unprecedented rate of change and re-organization as new markets and technologies are quickly being developed.

This time around company executives are approaching this current round with more caution, informing themselves beforehand of the costs and benefits this option can offer

By Pilar Gumucio them, turning to advisors to help explain these complex transactions.

PG: WHY IS M&A CURRENTLY IN DEMAND? Rolf Heeb: There are several reasons for the increased demand we see for M&A within enterprises. Some of them are related to general economic factors (such as the increasing trend for faster globalization of markets, the fast development of new technologies, the high cost and high risk involved in the development of new markets, etc); others are related to the typical life cycles of family-owned business. There are still the kinds of mergers where cost-cutting is the major reason, but we are seeing less of those in our business. The main reasons for the majority of the Mergers & Acquisition projects we oversee are to support the required growth of the enterprise in terms of turnover and profitability or to sell/merge family-owned businesses as a part of a succession planning.

As the world becomes more globalized, it is requiring fast responses and needs to avoid mistakes being made; especially when establishing new organizations in (not only) less unknown countries/territories, developing new technologies or to start in new businesses where there is only limited experience. An acquisition, a merger or a “strategic alliance” is obviously the fastest way to gain growth, but not always the easiest one. In fact, the results of a survey conducted on the German ISSUE 27 2006 search-consult

17

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 18 C

S

E

A

R

C

H

- M

E

R

G

market a few years ago depicted that more than 50% of all mergers/acquisitions were, in one way or another, not successful.

With a professional strategic planning approach, the top management of an enterprise is able to realize that the organic growth of a business into a new territory, the foundation of a production facility in a low cost country, the development of new technologies, and the internationalization of business lines takes much too long to gain the required competitive advantages which are required to further grow the enterprise, or even to just survive.

Our clients in the M&A business can be divided in two groups: the first group organizes a systematic mergers & acquisitions process which is based on a strategic plan and the second group just takes chances when they occur.

PG: WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO THIS INCREASING TREND? Rolf Heeb: Some of the factors have already been stated above, which will lead to more M&A projects. Overall, these could be summarized under the heading of getting more competitive advantages in a shorter period of time.

However, there are some other reasons that support an increase of the M&A business. There are a large number of familyowned companies founded after World War II which need to find a succession plan in the next 3-5 years. For a lot of these, the sale/merger of the enterprise is the only solution.

The bigger and more internationalized the customers of an enterprise get, the bigger and more internationalized the enterprise has to become. We see a lot of cases where the growth of an enterprise becomes almost a must because of the growth of the fastgrowing customers (specifically by M&A processes). The demands of the customers in terms of services, regional coverage, complexity of technologies to provide, and so forth are becoming critical in order to survive if the enterprise is not able to follow the customers’ demands.

Another factor we see is related to the reputation / image of a manager. For a lot of managers, being able to successfully close M&A deals is perceived as one of the highest

18

search-consult ISSUE 27 2006

E

R

S

&

A

M

C

Y

Q

CM

U

MY

CY CMY

I

image-building achievements in their business lives. However, most managers would not admit publicly to this reason.

PG: WHAT OPPORTUNITY DOES THIS PRESENT FOR EXECUTIVE SEARCH? Rolf Heeb: Definitely, there are a lot of opportunities for executive search firms when M&A processes take place.

The chances for executive search organizations already start with the analysis of the enterprise that is to be merged / acquired. As a part of the due diligence process, the involvement in a management audit opens new doors for the executive search company.

To fill open positions with top executives that bring in new competencies to the enterprise is, in most cases, a must.

PG: IS THE PROFILE OF THE CANDIDATE CHANGING? IF SO, HOW? Rolf Heeb: The profile and the competencies of top executives and managers in a merged or acquired enterprise are, in a lot of cases, different from what is found within existing organizations. In M&A cases, where globalization of the business or expansion into new businesses were the major decision drivers, competences like Intercultural Skills, International Skills, Ability to bring about change, etc require new profiles which often have to be brought in from the outside.

In family-owned enterprises the succession of the “old entrepreneurs” is, in a lot of cases, already agreed upon in the purchase contract. Sometimes it takes place immediately, and sometimes it occurs in a phased out process.

PG: WHAT DEMANDS TO THEY PLACE ON CONSULTANTS? Rolf Heeb: The executive search consultant has to understand the complexity of the newly formed organization, helping the client determine the candidate profiles that suit the newly formed organization. Many times they are different from what has been there so far.

The executive search consultant also has to help the client understand that managing

S

K

I

T

I

O

N

S

a company that is currently in “an integration change process” is different then managing an organic growth situation. This often requires change management competences for only a certain period of time.

P G : W H A T A RE T H E M A I N CHALLENGES THAT CONSULTANTS ARE HAVING IN M&A? HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THESE PROBLEMS? Rolf Heeb: In a lot of cases, the client needs the support of the executive search consultant throughout the entire process, particularly if it involves cross boarder M&A projects. Clients require more advice on required competences and candidate profiles than in other cases. The major reason is because the client tends to be inexperienced in these types of projects, and knows that they cannot afford to make mistakes.

Sometimes the competences required can not be found in the country of the acquisition. International searches with the need for a candidate to relocate to another country add complexity to these projects.

Based on the experience we have in consulting our clients through the entire M&A process - which is not only limited to HR related matters, but encompasses all subjects and functions of an M&A process - we are able to understand what the enterprise really needs, sometimes even better than the managers themselves do.

Providing our clients with this knowledge helps our clients avoid severe mistakes, building a good partnership.

This knowledge, combined with the strength of being a Partner of an International Executive Search Partnership in AIMS International Management Search, Vienna, allows us to serve our clients in difficult national and truly international searches for the best candidates. By being a partner of AIMS International Management Search we are able to help our clients in all of our international executive search projects. www.search-consult.com For more information visit: Web: www.ifmonline.de www.aims-network.com

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 19 C

The Trainer: Jill Dillistone – arguably the Retained Search industry’s leading trainer with over 20 years experience of conducting research for a number of premier search firms in the UK and Europe as well as delivering training courses internationally for major search firms such as Russell Reynolds, Heidrick & Struggles and Whitehead Mann.

BOOK NOW FOR:

London

New York Chicago

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

EXECUTIVE SEARCH TRAINING WORKSHOPS a series of 1-day training seminars for Retained Search Professionals

"Excellent day, putting some theory behind our practice!"

Kirsty Weston, Korn/Ferry, UK "Very clear and articulate presentation, easy to follow and understand" Angela Biss, BOS Executive Search, Australia "It was a very good workshop. I can't say that there are any points of improvement."

Christian Mikkelsen, Wingmanager, Denmark "It was excellent: well planned & organised with solid tips" Candy Wong, Eastwood Consultants, Hong Kong

THE WORKSHOPS:

Research and Candidate Development Workshop: London 10 October, New York 9 November, Chicago 13 November This 1-day workshop is for less experienced researchers and consultants. The three themes covered during the day are research skills, telephone techniques and administration and project management.

You will learn: How to be creative in solving your search • Five techniques to screen candidates effectively • How better to set priorities and manage your time • The secrets of getting to the best candidates fast

Search Execution and Client Management Workshop: London 11 October, New York 10 November, Chicago 14 November This 1-day workshop is for professionals involved in the search execution process and focuses on effective and successful client management and liaison (including progress reporting), candidate interviewing and referencing and the preparation of candidate reports and package negotiation.

You will learn: How to get the real story behind the CV • Five techniques to add value in the search process • How better to manage client meetings • The secrets of developing long term client relationships

Maximum 16 attendees per workshop.

For rates and to book, please complete the booking form available online at www.dillistone.com/workshops and send it with the payment to one of the addresses provided. (please make cheques payable to Dillistone Systems Ltd) If paying by credit card, please fax it back to us on +1 (201) 221 7518 or +44 (0)20 7729 6108.

Refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

For more information, please visit our website www.dillistone.com/workshops or send an email to marketing@dillistone.com

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 20 C

S

E

A

R

C

H

- H

R

I

N

T

E

R

V

I

E

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

W

CB RICHARD ELLIS GROUP:

“We take risks

and expect our partners to do the same” n a highly competitive industry, such as the real estate industry, innovation and talent are fundamental elements that must be handled with much thought and care. At the same time, companies must be prepared to adopt risks and they need bright executives who can think out of the box to help them drive their plans forward.

Jack Van Berkel, Senior Vice President of Corporate Human Resources at CB Richard Ellis Group (CBRE), spoke to search-consult, advising search providers to thoroughly think about how they sell the opportunity to companies and especially in being more creative with the candidates they present. If they can get these steps right, then they are well on their way to creating the perfect partnership with their clients.

CBRE, headquartered in Los Angeles, became the first real estate services company to be included last year in the Fortune 1000. In terms of 2005 revenue, this prestigious company is considered to be the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm. With more than 200 offices worldwide, CBRE employs approximately 14,500 people and has an extensive service offering to real estate owners, investors and occupiers alike.

“We are one and a half times bigger than anyone else,” states Van Berkel. He insists that having the best talent, along with providing the best products and services,

I

20

search-consult ISSUE 27 2006

is what has permitted CBRE to continue to succeed with this winning formula.

The CBRE executive explains: “As long as you can continue to provide the best platform and execute better with the best talent, you are going to be more successful than anyone else. Success breeds success, as you build on that momentum. You find that people want to work for you and customers want to do business with you.”

But this success has not occurred over night. Van Berkel describes how it has taken 10 long years to build.

A CRITICAL ASSET Although Van Berkel is delighted with the company’s continued success, he admits that “maintaining, retaining and continuing to hire the best talent will always be one of the biggest challenges a services related company” must deal with on a daily basis.

The answer lies in being able to effectively retain and attract top talent, in conjunction with creating an infrastructure that allows your company to support and address precisely those functions of retention and attraction.

“We look at each individual employee as a critical asset. Our assets have feet. They go home and you hope they come back the next day. We are not building widgets here, so we are incredibly concerned about making sure the emotional state of the employee is in the right place,” describes

By Pilar Gumucio the CBRE Senior Vice President.

In order to address these concerns, CBRE has created a culture that is based on teamwork and collaboration around the company’s platform.

“We have a great deal of bright and capable people that make it a very attractive place to be,” insists Van Berkel. “It can be especially impressive when you get a lot of aggressive people moving in the same direction.”

To preserve this productive environment, CBRE offers senior executives programs that none of their competitors have to ensure that they are able to attract and retain their top talent. For some it may include receiving special training, for others it may mean global opportunities and for others specific benefit programs.

For example, “we have a deferred compensation program that no one else has, we have specific stock incentive programs that no one else has and since you can’t get it anywhere else, we are able to attract and retain senior people on that basis,” explained CBRE’s HR executive.

Moreover, it is important to remember that the “real estate game is filled with very bright aggressive people, and they all have to believe that they are on the winning team.”

It is up to CBRE’s HR executives to make sure that their formula of success continues to be attractive to employees and potential employees.

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 21 C

S

SELECTING THE RIGHT CANDIDATE Van Berkel describes how his firm is focusing on assessment, making sure that each candidate has been hand picked. “We have built a model profile based on what we believe a successful CBRE executive has to have.”

All managers must go through this fourhour assessment to determine if they fit the profile. This process is jointly conducted in house and by external personnel, which are not CBRE’s search providers.

Van Berkel also explains how his team has a whole database of information about previous candidates, and this helps his team be able to effectively compare candidates.

“What works in the past is a pretty good indicator of what will work in the future.”

The interview process is an important part of the selection process, however; he admits that choosing a candidate solely on that basis is not advisable.

“We will dig deep, which includes a thorough behavioural assessment and extensive reference checking,” states Van Berkel.

He explained how CBRE generally recruits using in-house resources. The company has a recruitment organization in place, and also counts on its local leaders to understand all the talent within their local market to help drive this initiative forward.

“We have a database of all the top brokers in the world we would like to have on board,” says the CBRE HR executive.

CBRE will sometimes also use local boutiques to find mid-level executives, but when it comes to high-end searches the company prefers to use a global firm to handle all of its search needs.

A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP In fact, for two years CBRE has had an excellent ongoing relationship with a prestigious search firm.

When asked what has made this relationship so effective, Van Berkel describes how the quality level of the CEO and the top consultants has been fundamental in understanding and then addressing his company’s specific search requirements.

Van Berkel describes how he has weekly calls with the main contact of this firm to discuss every global search that is taking

E

A

R

M

Y

C

CM

H

MY

CY CMY

- H

Jack Van Berkel

place. If he believes that the search consultant is not taking a search in the right direction, he clarifies it at that time so that he makes sure that by the end of the conversation the consultant and him are on the same page.

The CBRE HR executive states: “In our business, people are everything, so a wrong hire can be a million dollar plus mistake.

Obviously, we can’t afford these types of mistakes as we must be very careful in our selection process.”

He then reports how often search providers “don’t fully understand how important it is what they do. Often they appear to be trying to fill a hole when it should be about creating a perfect partnership.”

SELLING THE OPPORTUNITY What CBRE doesn’t want – explains Van Berkel – are search providers that only look at their database to see what they can find.

In fact, as more and more companies rely on in-house recruitment and local employees to provide them with referrals, search providers must go a step further in really being creative and in investing lots of time and energy in finding and persuading the top A players to join their clients companies.

Yet it appears that not enough search providers are hearing this message as Van Berkel reports: “I am amazed how search consultants have misclassified people, and how unwilling they are to take a chance on someone that doesn’t fit the profile they think will fill the job… Most search firms really

R

K

I

N

T

E

R

V

I

E

W

can’t think out of the box.”

Taking chances is becoming a fundamental part of business, as search providers must adapt to these new conditions to remain competitive and continue to meet their clients’ demands.

Van Berkel expects his search provider to elaborate a list of candidates “that you would not normally think of as the right candidate, but when presented properly, is perfect.”

According to the CBRE Senior Vice President, search consultants should really focus more on how they sell an opportunity and about getting companies to look at certain things differently.

He describes how he is bombarded with calls from search consultants, offering him a list of top quality candidates. Yet when he begins to ask questions and dig deeper, it becomes apparent that the search consultant is only interested in a quick sell and not in his company’s needs.

“They really don’t understand the opportunity, but just want to make a match to get their commission. Search providers must be able to really tell me where the candidate is going and why it is good for me to potentially hire that person… In the end, it is about balancing the needs of the company and the candidate as they look for matches that make sense.”

As the Senior Vice President of Corporate Human Resources, Jack Van Berkel oversees the Human Resources Division for CB Richard Ellis. His role encompasses the strategic direction of the Human Resources initiatives. They include Benefits, Compensation, Diversity, Employee Relations, Employment, Payroll, Staffing and Training. Mr. Van Berkel comes to CBRE with 20 years experience in international Human Resources Management, including extensive experience in compensation design, mergers and acquisitions, and human capital development. His most recent background includes five years as the Senior Vice President of HR at Western Digital Corporation and two years as Senior Vice President of HR at Gateway, Inc. www.search-consult.com For more information visit: Web: www.cbre.com

ISSUE 27 2006 search-consult

21

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 22 C

S

E

A

R

C

H

EESN:

- N

E

T

W

O

R

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

K

Clients Set

theAgenda

By Jason Starr and Pilar Gumucio

n today’s dynamic and global marketplace, the options for selecting an effective search provider are numerous and at times can even appear daunting. EESN (European Executive Search Network) strongly believes that the key to be a successful provider is for local boutiques to cooperate together under the umbrella of a trustworthy brand, always placing the needs of their clients first.

During EESN’s Annual Meeting held recently in Barcelona, Spain, three members met with search-consult to discuss this network’s objectives and vision for the future.

EESN's primary objective is “to always establish and maintain long-term relationships with clients, based on total cooperation and trust,” explains Sebastian Steinbach - most recently voted as the Chairman of this prominent network and is also the Managing Director of Steinbach Consulting AG based in Germany.

According to Hans Warmerdam, Managing Director of the Haselhoff Groep that is based in the Netherlands and one of the original members of EESN, the network’s main focus has always been, and will continue to be, the client. “We have to look at the demands of the customer and be able to adapt ourselves to continuously meet and exceed their expectations.”

George Dakos, President & Managing Director of Stedima S.A. that is based in Greece, describes what attracted him most to join EESN was the organisation’s ethics, high quality standards and their approach in really cooperating together across the board to further the interests of their clients.

As more and more companies are seeking to expand their operations to other countries

I

22

search-consult ISSUE 27 2006

and regions, search providers must harness their local know-how and be able to offer a regional and, at the same time, a global platform to really be effective.

Within this context, ESSN claims to provide the highest level of cooperation every time one of their consultant’s partners with a client as well as with other members within this executive search network.

Sebastian Steinbach describes how in their local markets, each of the partners are “already considered as highly respected companies that have gained the trust of their clients due to their sustainable quality”. By collaborating on cross-border projects with other carefully selected partners, they are cooperating to further the interests of their clients.

“On one hand, the client can count on a partner in their home country that will know the culture, the legislation, the way the client thinks,” George Dakos elaborates. “On the

Sebastian Steinbach

other hand, they have a local partner in the place or places where they want the search to take place, providing the client with a list of potential candidates and value-added information that serves to help the client” be able to make the perfect technical and cultural fit.

SETTING THE FOUNDATIONS In fact, EESN was founded on that very premise. Although this organisation was formally created two and a half years ago, Sebastian Steinbach recalls how his father Dieter Steinbach, the original founder of the network who passed away earlier this year – had begun working to make this vision a reality since the early 90s as he began researching and making contact with the heads of a few select prominent boutiques within Europe that shared the same vision, values, best practices and high ethical standards.

Partners within Europe were selected because “the original members envisioned a European community whose borders were vanishing. Therefore, it made sense to create an organisation where we could cooperate together in the interests of our clients,” reports Hans Warmerdam.

George Dakos adds: “It is easy to cooperate in Europe where the process of executive search is very similar and you are close enough to be able to reach partners within a couple of hours. As a result, you can quickly and effectively perform projects together.”

All three consultants admit that EESN does not have a formal structure that highlights their integration process better, yet they are adamant to prove that Managing Directors

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 23 C

M

Y

S

George Dakos

of these prestigious local boutiques can be just as effective, achieving high levels of cooperation and trust that enhance their relationships with clients.

TRUST & COOPERATION ARE FUNDAMENTAL This is especially important for building long-term relationships with clients. Sebastian Steinbach insists: “The client likes to know that they will always deal with the same consultant. Not only does it enhance your relationship with the client, it reassures the client that their business is important to us.”

Furthermore, they don’t have to worry about office politics or wonder if the consultant they have grown accustomed to dealing with has decided to move on to another firm.

He notes how business is generated on the basis that local firms have already gained a client’s trust. Through mutual cooperation, they are now being able to expand that trust by offering clients the same level of service in other countries that have EESN members.

Hans Warmerdam emphasises that the same high standards in trust and cooperation are also provided to candidates. “With a shortage of really good candidates, it is part of our job to find them, and then facilitate finding them the right company.”

Clients range from small start-up operations to Fortune 100 multinational operations. What is essential is that they are all looking for global partnerships.

CM

E

MY

CY CMY

A

George Dakos reports: “We can make the difference. As our clients face the challenges of going global, we are at their side to help them do this successfully because we already know their business, the culture where they come from and where they need to go to continue to succeed.“ “Today’s business is very dynamic and it is part of our role to partner with the client, making them aware of the latest trends and the impact this has on their companies. For instance, we have to discuss the changes occurring in the profile of the executives, the job descriptions and compensation schemes,“ states Sebastian Steinbach.

Hans Warmerdam explains how more and more clients are requesting that executive search be conducted under the same terms and conditions that they are accustomed to working in their home countries.

For example, he explains: “A client based in the Netherlands is interested in a crossborder search in Germany. We first study the opportunity and consult with our partner in Germany to see if we are able to provide this service. If we have agreed that we can, then the German partner will be the local supplier providing the list of potential candidates and any other information that is pertinent to the search. The customer will deal with the partner in the Netherlands since he is the one that best understands that particular client.”

Satisfied with EESN’s quality of service, the same client may then want a search in Spain and France, confident that the same terms and conditions will be provided.

Sebastian Steinbach admits that EESN does not have a standard set of terms and conditions because each client’s demands are tailored to their specific requirements, dependent on the country they are based in.

Nevertheless, what is important is that wherever the search is conducted, the client will have the guarantee that the same terms and conditions will always apply.

TIME FOR EXPANSION ESSN was set up by 10 original members and now operates in 28 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Spain,

R

K

C

H

- N

E

T

W

O

R

K

Hans Warmerdam

Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Marocco, and China.

Sebastian Steinbach reports how this leading executive search organisation will continue to “intensify EESN's presence in the European market”. At the same time, the network is now looking to expand into other regions, such as Asia and the Americas.

Hans Warmerdam describes how China is of particular interest because at the moment there is a lot of cross-border activity between Europe and the Asian giant. He remarks: “EESN aims to go where there is a need from our customers, responding and expanding on that basis.”

George Dakos agrees as he states how “clients want to see operations in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London and also China. Because our customer base is expanding, we are expanding our reach to satisfy their needs.”

As experts in executive search, EESN provides clients with the assurance that wherever clients choose to expand their business, they will always have a trustworthy partner to guide them through this process and provide them with valued information that will help them to drive their business forward as they continue to attract and retain top talent. www.search-consult.com For more information visit: Web: www.eesn.net

ISSUE 27 2006 search-consult

23

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 24 C

S

E

A

R

C

H

- T

E

C

H

N

O

L O

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

G Y

in Executive Search Technology

Company Name

de Jager & Associates www.dejager.com.au

Website

Sydney and Melbourne, Australia

Location A brief description of your company and types of services offered

de Jager & Associates, an executive search firm, specializes in the recruitment of “C” level, Senior and General Management and in 15 years of operation has developed a select client list of high-profile industry leaders in Australia and internationally.

Our size, local knowledge, global alliances and industry expertise allows us to provide a uniquely personalized service.

We supplement our core executive search function by providing the following consulting services to our clients and candidates: • Interim Management • Consulting Services • Psychological Testing • Remuneration and Reward Strategies • Associates Human Resources Services• In 2002, de Jager & Associates became the Australian Partner for IIC Partners, a top 10 international executive search organization with over 60 offices in 36 countries across the globe.

A brief summary of the executive search market in your country

The executive search market in Australia is very mature and competitive and all the top integrated firms are well established and have been operating from Sydney and Melbourne since the mid 70’s. In addition to the integrated firms, there are a number of local firms belonging to international networks as well as firms operating in niche markets. The Australian search industry has now expanded into the Asia Pacific region as this market sector is now embracing the use of executive search to attract talent.

Tell us how technology has helped your business

The use of technology has enabled our firm to establish a sophisticated executive search database which enables us to effectively search on a number of criteria which was not always possible in the past with the more generic database systems. The database also allows us to easily capture candidate information, both from emails and also from our website.

The Internet has allowed us to search globally and quickly, allowing us to stay abreast of key industry sectors on a global basis and the trends they are facing.

Aligned to a global organization, emails have played an important role in communicating with our partners and of course it is also an invaluable, cost-effective and easy means of communication with candidates and clients with the obvious appeal being its immediacy.

Skype has also cut down on our telephone costs, especially overseas calls.

We are able to use our website (www.dejager.com.au) as a marketing tool to future clients, post current topical articles on it for our current clients and candidates and have candidates, send their details to us which then can be interfaced with our database.

Company Name

AIMS HUMAN CAPITAL ROMANIA www.aims.ro

Website

Bucharest, Romania

Location

24

A brief description of your company and types of services offered

Aims Human Capital Romania is focused on offering executive search and management consultancy services across Romania. As part of the Association of International Management Search, AIMS Romania is committed to the highest quality standards, offering to its customers in-depth knowledge of the market and standards of professionalism developed in more than 12 years of existence.

A brief summary of the executive search market in your country

The executive search market in Romania can be described as a very heterogeneous market from the point of view of its main players.

While some international names have come and gone (i.e. Nicholson International, Korn/Ferry etc), a lot of local entrepreneurs have developed businesses in the field (sometimes under the patronage of foreign names). Thus, competition is hard and mostly price-driven.

However, multinational companies that have a history of using these services are now looking to buying higher quality services, considering the company’s capacity of offering not just the apparently suitable candidate to fill the job, but also the consultancy skills that ensure the best possible fit. Considering the high number of companies claiming to offer executive search services, the competitive advantage within this context is given by the rich market knowledge of the employed consultants who are constantly looking to enrich their networks in order to swiftly and efficiently answer customer needs.

Tell us how technology has helped your business

About one year and a half ago we became conscious of the fact that our database no longer answered the needs of our constantly growing business. The team of consultants had increased as well as the number of projects, thus making it more difficult to track information and ensure its efficient dissemination. Thus, we concluded that the best solution would be an integrated database that would offer Real Time access to information. FILEFINDER proved to be the right answer to this dilemma, improving not only Project Management but also the process of information gathering and filtering. The implementation of the database led to improved project times and to the adoption of more efficient search methods. Consequently, the daily use of the database has allowed a correct use of resources and evidently an increase in productivity.

search-consult ISSUE 27 2006

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 25 C

S

Company Name

R

CM

C

MY

H

CY CMY

- T

K

E

C

H

N

O

L O

G Y

www.TopGunVentures.com Dallas, Silicon Valley, Boston

Location

Tell us how technology has helped your business

A

Y

Top Gun Ventures, LLC

Website

A brief description of your company and types of services offered A brief summary of the executive search market in your country

E

M

Top Gun Ventures is a premier retained executive search firm that works with venture capitalists, private equity partners, corporate executives and entrepreneurs to meet their global Human Capital executive needs.

Compared to a few years ago, since 911, the executive search business in the US has significantly increased and we are finding ourselves as busy today as we were in the 1990's. Additionally, we are finding venture capitalists and large corporations investing in new companies and technology, and what they need today is better leadership than before. Similarly, we are working with several international companies from the UK and Europe that continue to expand into the US and need better leadership as they continue to turn to us for that solution.

Overall, we see the US market continuing to do very well and certainly envision the need for companies to bring on "proven" leadership in order to scale their companies to the next level.

Since we specialize in the technology industries, we have always been big believers in using technology to help support our executive search practice. We invested in the Dillistone FILEFINDER database years ago and it has been invaluable to us as we conduct executive searches on a global basis. There is no other executive search database software on the market that fulfils our need better than FILEFINDER.

Company Name

Boyden Chile www.boyden.com

Website

Santiago, Chile

Location A brief description of Executive search, management assessment your company and types of services offered A brief summary of the executive search market in your country Tell us how technology has helped your business

Company Name Website Location

The Chilean market was initiated back in the early 90’s. Today all lead players are present. The market is estimated around US$25M. Our company’s focus is on Mining, Financial Services and FMCG. We have incorporated the FILEFINDER platform in 2005, and since then we have incorporated Argentina and Perú under our platform and are currently incorporating Colombia. To follow are Venezuela and Mexico. This search system has been very helpful in standardizing our processes and improving our quality and measurability as it delivers metrics. It has also permitted our immediate exchange of information – real time of Companies and Candidates. Lastly it has permitted us to communicate status reports with Clients in a professional standard without excessive additional work. We are recommending the system within Boyden.

McKinney Consulting Inc. www.mckinneyconsulting.com Seoul, South Korea

A brief description of McKinney Consulting is a leading retained executive search and management consultancy serving multinational companies. McKinney your company and types is known as the hiring experts. Everything they do is about making better hiring choices. The practice groups are: Automotive, Consumer of services offered & Retail, Financial Services, Industrial, Life Sciences and Technology. Since 2001 McKinney Consulting has been strategically based in South Korea. McKinney successfully covers the entire Asia area through strong affiliates with local knowledge, industry specific experience and global reach.

A brief summary of the The executive search market in Korea is well developed at this point with most of the global executive search providers having a executive search market presence here. The business was really started in the early 90's and has swelled, with many providers covering all industries including in your country government positions more recently.

As you would expect in a fairly new market, multinational clients led the way in the beginning. Now, more and more local companies are using the professional services of executive search companies in the "war for talent". Currently there are approximately 100 executive search firms on paper operating in Korea, with only the top 10 or 15 really having international bench marked practices and only a handful with top notch reputations.

The executive search business has closely modelled the success record of the global trends the past 2 years, 2004 & 2005 being growth years. The current US-Korea Free Trade Agreement negotiations in Washington and Seoul are boosting the confidence of local and multinational business leaders. New companies are moving into Korea this year in anticipation of increased business between Korea and the US. Korea is the 12th largest global economy and the 7th largest trading partner with the US. Tell us how technology After working in a search firm which used a basic homemade database utilizing Microsoft Excel, I realized that there must be a better has helped your way. So, the first purchase that I made immediately upon the establishment of my company, McKinney Consulting, was the FILEFINDER business system from Dillistone. The advantages of using a professional management system (database CRM) such as FILEFINDER is endless, but here are a few of the obvious ones: 1) Reduced staff. We can actually have less staff and accomplish more placements by using this system which is less labour intensive.

2) Speed in search, time is money. We are able to locate our talent pool much faster using FILEFINDER. 3) FILEFINDER allows us to store and locate all of information which is easily accessible to all members of the company.

4) Our database is less likely to be stolen based upon the security measures put into place.

5) Constant input from actual users and then the implementation into the design of upgrades in the software puts us on the leading edge of technology within our industry and gives us a competitive advantage.

ISSUE 27 2006 search-consult

25

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 26 C

S

E

A

R

C

H

- T

E

Company Name

H

N

O

L O

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

G Y

InterSearch in the Gulf www.ae.intersearch.org

Website

Dubai, UAE

Location A brief description of your company and types of services offered

InterSearch in the Gulf is part of InterSearch Worldwide, a global partnership of search and selection consultants with more than 90 offices in 40 countries. We established our first regional office in the Middle East in Dubai in 1998, added an InterSearch partner in Saudi Arabia in 2005 with offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, and opened our second UAE office in Abu Dhabi in March 2006. Our Qatar office will open in September 2006, followed by Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman next year.

We are a retained executive search firm and operate across all major industry sectors. We have recruited senior and mid-level executives, managers and specialists in many disciplines. In this region our largest market sectors are banking & financial services, oil, gas & petrochemicals as well as manufacturing, property development and large conglomerates.

A brief summary of the executive search market in your country

The Middle East is a lucrative market for executive search at present due to the booming economy spurred by high oil prices and large development projects. Dubai acts as a regional hub for a large number of international and local companies. Due to the number of new companies entering the market together with the fact that most companies already present are expanding their operations, good talent is in high demand and candidates with specialist skills and regional experience can be scarce.

Tell us how technology has helped your business

We use FILEFINDER which has been extremely beneficial in linking our offices throughout the region, ensuring consistency of service to our clients and candidates. When new offices are opened, they are instantly able to access a wealth of knowledge and information through FILEFINDER from our regional hub in Dubai. We have instant access to client, candidate and assignment information whilst also ensuring confidentiality through access groups and off-limits functions. This technology enables us to operate regionally as a completely integrated company.

Company Name

Matchbox International www.matchboxinternational.com

Website

London/Maidenhead

Location A brief description of your company and types of services offered

Boutique firm focussed on recruiting procurement, supply chain and trading professionals. We are extremely focussed and deliver results to our clients quickly.

A brief summary of the executive search market in your country

Executive search remains extremely competitive. The most successful firms take a more flexible approach than those with a traditional “black book” mentality where information, contacts and leads are guarded by individuals. Sharing of information is ultimately in the interest of clients, candidates and firms delivering such services.

Tell us how technology has helped your business

Technology and specifically FILEFINDER is at the core of all of our activities. As a small firm, it is essential that we are efficient and agile and deliver results to our clients quickly. We have a professional, robust working methodology which requires all members of staff to capture record and continually share information across our business. FILEFINDER is the business tool that delivers the functionality that we require to manage all elements of an assignment from prospect identification, candidate management through to billing. It is flexible and easy to use enabling our staff to quickly see the status and history of all assignments and candidates thus enabling excellent teamworking resulting in increased client, candidate and staff satisfaction.

Company Name

Horton International (Germany) GmbH www.horton-intl.de; www.horton-intl.com

Website

Frankfurt am Main / Germany

Location

26

C

M

A brief description of your company and types of services offered

Horton Inc. was established in the United States in 1978. In 1991, we merged (our German operations) with five other renowned European and Australian Executive Search companies as well as Horton Inc. and became HORTON INTERNATIONAL. In the course of the expansion, Horton International absorbed further consultancy firms with vast experience and proven expertise. With about 80 consultants in 36 countries, Horton is today among the largest Executive Search firms of its kind worldwide. Apart from Executive Search, Horton International offers consultancy on foreign market entry, change management and mergers & acquisitions etc.

A brief summary of the executive search market in your country

The Executive Search market in Germany can hardly be restricted to a single country nowadays. The relationships between firms’ national and international interests, current economic dependences and future strategic orientations are too interwoven. Therefore, it goes without saying that consultants are expected to know the unwritten rules (e.g. cultural issues etc.) of their "cooperation countries" besides their own employment markets and applicable statutory provisions. Thus, consultancy that is successful in a specific market is based, among other things, on professional experience, continuing education (also at an international level), the latest methodology (tools, channels) and a highly effective personal network.

Tell us how technology has helped your business

We already started our cooperation with Dillistone (FILEFINDER etc.) several years ago. The software fully convinced us, as we make extremely successful use of the consistent service offering, the sophisticated equipment and the available tools. Especially in the area of recruitment, we have been able to organise our projects more precisely, more specifically and, therefore, more efficiently – thanks to the contributions of partner firms like Dillistone.

search-consult ISSUE 27 2006

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 27 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

wydanie 27j.fh9 7/6/06 11:33 AM Page 28 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K