world atlas
Local Knowledge and Global Reach are Keys to Multi-Border Executive Searches
Written by Glenn Anderson, Senior Managing Director, Tyler & Company, Cleveland, USA
When it comes to determining which search firm to retain for high-level executive positions in multiple international locations, a few fundamental criteria should come to mind. Aside from having executive search experience in the product/service line and industry; chemistry with the hiring partner and team; and a history of success in placements, companies also should investigate how the gears of the search firm churn by way of local knowledge and global reach. Let’s take a look at how senior-level executives were placed for a $180 million a year global business that manufactures engineered automatic systems and equipment for metal forming, recycling and solid waste processing – Mayfran International.
Mayfran Chairman and CEO J. D. Sullivan hired Signium International through its office in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, to locate a chief operating officer for its North American business. During this process, Sullivan asked Signium to also recruit a managing director to lead its European business. While the head of the Cleveland office, Glenn Anderson, Jr., brought sector expertise and a successful track record to the project, Sullivan also got the strength and resources of an additional 44 Signium offices worldwide.
“We like the service level Signium provides, as well as the fact that their international footprint allows us to have a coordinated approach to our needs since we have a large international footprint as well,” Sullivan says.
For local knowledge and maneuvering, Anderson enlisted Angela Westdorf, a partner with Signium International’s Düsseldorf office in Germany, to conduct the search. Having worked with Westdorf on previous projects, Anderson says, “I’m very comfortable working under the Signium structure with Angela because I know her so well.”
Mayfran, like all Signium clients, relies on the consortium’s high-touch, high-involvement approach to successfully place qualified executives. With experience in virtually every sector, clients can count on specific industry expertise that Signium partners bring to the table as well as their local geographic market knowledge. “In this case, Mayfran also was relying on Angela to advise them on the appropriate compensation for the candidate in that part of the world,” Anderson says.
During the process, Westdorf’s market knowledge and hands-on approach proved invaluable in compensation discussions with Mayfran and in keeping the other candidates motivated when the first selection rejected an offer for another position.
“What made us successful,” Westdorf emphasizes, “was persistence. We always maintained a very close relationship with the candidates and the client in order to moderate the process. Mayfran trusts our opinion as consultants and always contacted me when they were in doubt about a candidate or when they wanted to discuss something about the candidate. Or, when they weren’t sure how to react to something the candidate said. It was very much on mutual terms, and they very much appreciated our input.”
While the time to placement was delayed due to the elimination of Mayfran’s first choice, generally it’s not clients’ top concern. “Cycle time is important, but it’s less important than getting the right person in the job,” Anderson says.
And how does Signium assure that? Anderson claims, “It’s through integrity, transparency and outstanding placements.”
Mayfran International has engaged Signium four times since 2002, and it will continue to rely on Signium in the future. “We like the fact that we can have a distributed effort with the centralized account management that Signium provides us,” Sullivan says.
This intra-regional cooperation between Signium partners is a testament of the network’s strength. And as more and more midsized and privately held companies launch global operations, Signium International is proving itself well-equipped to recruit top executive talent in every hemisphere.
Reach any of Signium’s more than 150 consultants by contacting our Corporate Headquarters in Chicago at +1 (312) 564 5890. Or visit us at www.signium.com. ■
Return to The Navigator Q2 2010