The Challenge
All recruiting firms are not the same. After searching for over eight months and engaging two top global recruiting firms, a prominent German firm turned to BaxterKrause to find a Chief Financial Officer who could step in quickly to replace an interim executive leaving suddenly. The CEO needed a talented and experienced executive ready to join the company with minimal delay. Not only was timing crucial, but the client wanted someone with an investment banking and private equity background, as well as heavy Anglo-centric international experience.
Our Action
BaxterKrause conducted the search from Atlanta to Berlin. But first – where the other search firms spent only 2 hours with the client and never fully understood the background, culture and heart of the firm – we spent four days analyzing, interviewing and listening closely to the CEO and leading executives. We captured exactly the essence of what was required in a candidate; something that even the CEO could not adequately communicate without our ability to interpret the need.
Building on our detailed knowledge of the pool of senior finance executives in Germany, we identified a shortlist of highly qualified candidates with the experience, maturity and leadership qualities necessary to make an immediate impact.
Within six weeks of starting the search, and having met each of the shortlisted candidates, the client chose an outstanding executive with impressive, broad-based experience in multiple sectors over a fifteen-year career. He was found living only 12 km from the firms’ doorstep!
The Result
It quickly became clear to the new CFO that better systems of financial control and technical accounting were needed on a global basis. Faced with having to restructure the company in light of global economic recession, which involved extensive global dealings to ensure longevity, the financial savvy executive acted quickly to help the company survive the up-coming downturn and emerge profitably. BaxterKrause was asked to fill several additional leading global positions.
The Challenge
A global automotive company needed to recruit a senior-level executive to run its China operations. Although the firm had a presence in China for nearly 8 years, management believed the right leader could renew its focus on the auto parts market and generate significant additional sales — in part by forging stronger relationships with government officials and other complementary suppliers. Unfortunately, the position experienced frequent turnover, hindering efforts to gain traction in the market.
The company required an exceptional leader capable of managing all aspects of the business and building strong relationships in Beijing, and in the company’s US-based headquarters. The client also wanted an individual who had successfully led a sizable similar component company or division. Fluency in Mandarin and English also was of paramount importance.
Our Action
BaxterKrause assembled our team of senior consultants whose knowledge of the market and the candidate pool quickly paid off. We focused our search first on companies that had made the most headway building market share in China. We subsequently extended the search to other Asian-Pacific operations. With the help of our worldwide network, we investigated potential Mandarin-speaking executives who might have left the region for new assignments.
In order to attract the right caliber candidate, it was important for the company to demonstrate it had a long-term strategy for China. We worked with executives to articulate the company’s commitment to the region, resulting in a reporting structure that gave the position access to top senior executives at headquarters and a commitment to provide the necessary financial resources to the strategy.
Our broad network of long-term relationships in the market enabled us to quickly and subtly identify a list of the most qualified candidates and gauge their interest without compromising the client’s request for a confidential process. Because of our knowledge of the talent pool, we were able to swiftly provide candid feedback on candidates suggested by the client, using our trademarked Executive Select™ process.
The Result
The company hired an American who had spent twelve years in China and was fluent in the language. He quickly forged relationships and proved his worth by significantly reducing costs and growing operations by 150%. The company appreciated the speed and thoroughness of the search process and was pleased to be presented with a candidate with the skills required to build bridges with the government and foster strong ties between the Chinese operations and headquarters.
The Challenge
In an effort to strengthen and grow its business in North America, a firm in Germany needed to hire a full-time General Manager in the US for a position that had been previously filled by an employee from Germany. The executive was having difficulty assimilating culturally and was bringing the company to financial ruin.
The position, based in the Southeast US, called for an executive with general management skills, experience in business operations with full P&L responsibility, and sound knowledge of the US market; specifically the pharmaceutical industry. The company also needed a candidate with a minimum of 10 years’ experience in sales and marketing management, and good organizational, planning and financial skills. Fluency in German was required to forge strong ties with the headquarter unit.
Our Action
To start, we met with the company in Germany to learn and understand precisely the skills and competencies needed to fulfill the objectives of the role, and gain a sense of the culture of the organization. With this knowledge, we were able to develop a detailed candidate specification.
Next, we conducted the search by targeting pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies operating in the US with offices in Germany and with German firms operating in the US. We also used our trademarked Executive Select™ process to create a cultural map that to identify candidates who could relate culturally to both the German and US workforce. The search criteria fulfilled the clients’ need for a candidate with great General Management skills, as well as experience working in a multicultural environment in Europe or the US.
The client interviewed six potential candidates. After helping them to narrow the list down to two, a presentation was made to the company’s European management team in Stuttgart for final selection. After the candidate was invited to the US to meet the local management team, the appointment was approved and the position was offered and accepted. BaxterKrasue was involved every step of the way.
The Result
A German native, the new General Manager spent 15 years in the US and was well skilled in both cultures. He had successfully grown two businesses in the US and proved the perfect long-term fit for our client. The US firm is now the most profitable and stable of the parents’ holdings. BaxterKrause has been engaged in additional searches for the firm with equal success.