Middle East - Stanton Chase International

MAY MAY 2010 2010
Exclusive News
for Corporate Leaders
Regional Newsletter
for Middle East
5
Contents
Regional News p2
2010 CEO Census p3
Talent KSA p4
Going Green to Become Greener
in Consumer Sector p5
Why hotels need to
focus on the future not fear p6
Job Search Strategies for
Executive Level Leaders p7/8
Middle East
Profile and
Mobility
Trends of
the Senior
Executives
in
Middle East
May 2010
download the full report at
http://stantonchase.com/best_practices
or contact directly
Ms Konstantina Sakellariou at
k.sakellariou@stantonchase.com
Visit our site
www.stantonchase.com
STANTON CHASE INTERNATIONAL
Newswire
Exclusive
Exclusive
Newswire
Heading towards the end of Q2, companies and executives are still working on the aftermath of the 2009 downturn,
while exploring or developing the most appropriate strategies as to how to move forward, given the ongoing lack
of balance and stability.
From a senior human talent point of view, we see that the market is recovering steadily but at an uncertain pace, with
job creation increasing and executives building new professional connections to improve their business performance
and long-term career options. As our 2010 Middle East Senior Executive Census indicates, senior executives are much
more interested in their personal branding, in the enlargement of their network and in the development of additional skills
and competences that will keep them competitive in a volatile environment.
On the other hand, companies explore new ideas on management and leadership, trying, with cautious steps, to rebuild
and reinvest. The three areas that seem to be of major importance are the cost-effective operations, an emphasis on
strategy and building the talent in their leadership. Concerns about human talent retention keep growing, however it
seems that this is still not listed as a key priority in the strategies of the companies. The results of this
delay can already be detected in the market, and companies will soon have to draft strategies on
leadership assessment and retention, in order to keep up with their development plans.
We welcome your comments and feedback, while we would be glad to host your ideas in our
next newsletters.
Personal Marketing is the Centerpiece
at Work and in Search
Based on the Executive Job Market Intelligence 2010
report, leaders express their brand as the promise they
make to the marketplace and what differentiates them
from all the others with the same job title or work experience.
It is the tagline, descriptor, slogan or statement that
encapsulates an entire unique value, enabling others to
quickly understand who they are and what they do.
Establishing online evidence of the holistic package of
value you bring to organizations is now a career management
imperative to get the competitive edge, as recruiters
turn to search engines, social sites and private online
communities to network, source potential candidates and
garner referrals.
59%
56%
51%
Warm regards
Panos Manolopoulos
Vice Chairman Regions
Stanton Chase International
Recruiters are also online to learn information that may
lie beyond the resumes of executives they are considering
for a slate. Ninety percent of search firm recruiters
now make it a regular practice to Google candidates to
find anything that can help draw a complete picture of that
individual – up to 75 percent when ExecuNet began researching
this activity in 2005.
Corporate recruiters lag slightly behind the search firms in
routinely Googling candidates, but they are in full agreement
on one thing: 80 percent say a candidate’s job prospects
improve when positive information (such as thought
leadership, community service activities or published articles)
is found online.
The Executive Job Market Intelligence 2010 is based on simultaneous surveys of a total of 3,636 participants,
including both executives from around the world as well as executive search companies.
- In 2010, Stanton Chase is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of its international expansion -
57%
61% 59%
Stanton Chase is ranked within the top ten global retained executive search firms. With proven expertise in key sectors of the global economy, it has nine specialist
practice groups that operate as international teams. Stanton Chase is owned by its partners who take individual responsibility for delivering outstanding quality for each
assignment. Stanton Chase is a member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants. Further information can be found at www.stantonchase.com.”
56%
60%

MAY 2010
p2
Stanton Chase International:
Celebrating 20 Years
The 20th Anniversary of the global expansion of Stanton
Chase International was celebrated on the 26th of April in the
Fort Island of Madinat Jumeirah, in Dubai, with about 200 senior
executives, mostly from the GCC region, attending the special
reception that was hosted by the UAE office of Stanton Chase.
Dr Panos Manolopoulos, Vice Chairman Regions of Stanton
Chase International and Managing Partner of Stanton Chase UAE
welcomed the guests, presenting in brief the steps of the growth
of Stanton Chase over the past two decades and focusing on the
importance the company places in building strong and long term
relationships with its partners around the world. Dedication and
wholehearted commitment on being next to the senior executives
and not only acting as commissioned consultants represents the
core of the company’s philosophy and the various activities of its
offices around the world support this mentality.
Stanton Chase started its global expansion in 1990, thus taking
over the name “Stanton Chase International”. Ever since, the
number of offices has increased exponentially to 70 offices today
in 43 countries around the world.
Collaborations
Stanton Chase Middle East and the CEO Clubs UAE have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding in order to initiate a mutual collaboration
on joint initiatives addressed to senior executives in the Middle East.
STANTON CHASE INTERNATIONAL
Regional News
Exclusive
Newswire
Participation in Conferences
4Stanton Chase Middle East supported the 5th Annual HR Strategies
in Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals Conference, held in Doha, 12-14 April
2010. Wassim Karkabi, Managing Partner of Stanton Chase in Qatar
and UAE and Regional Practice Leader EMEA for the Industrial Sector
acted as a panellist during the conference, focusing on the Role of HR
VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
www.fleminggulf.com
in Preparing for Tomorrow’s Business
12
Challenges.
th - 14th 5
April 2010, W Doha Hotel & Residencies, Qatar
th Annual HR Strategies in Oil,
Gas & Petrochemicals 2010
4Stanton Chase Middle East also supported the 2nd HRM Summit, held
OUR DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS
Dr. Richard Leete, General Secretariat for Mundhir Al Barwani, Petroleum
Hamood M. Al-Harthy, Al Rushaid Group,
Development Planning (GSDP) Qatar Development Oman
(Saudi)
Director, Department of Social Development Director HR
Group HR, Manager
in Bahrain, on 4-5 May 2010. Panos Manolopoulos, Stephanie Cox, Schlumberger (France) Shahzad Sadan, Al Vice Hassan Group of Chairman
Dr. Adel Aldosary, King Fahd University
Vice President Human Resources
Companies (Oman)
for Petroleum & Minerals (Saudi)
General Manager - Human Resources and Chairman, City Planning Department
Dr. Axel Bode, Wintershall Group
Administration
(Germany)
Murad Suleiman, FranklinCovey Middle
Global Director of Human Resources
Abdulkarim Yahya Hilal, Bahrain National East
Gas Company
General Manager
Eion Turnbull, BAPCO (Bahrain)
Head HR
Dy. Chief Executive Officer
(Pride of HR Profession Award at the Global HR Dr. Parag Diwan, University of Petroleum
Regions of Stanton Chase International and Managing Excellence Awards) Partner & Energy Studies acted
Carel Oberholzer, SABIC, (Saudi Arabia)
Vice Chancellor & Indian School of Petroleum
Global Lead for Organizational Development Hussain Redha, Ministry of Labor,
Secretary General
and Design
Bahrain, former Executive General Manager, Energy Institute (India)
BAPCO (Bahrain), Former GM HR and Admin Chief Operating Officer
Ragner Falck, Qatar Petroleum
Head Strategic Manpower Planning
Ken Nikolai, Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Wassim Karkabi, Stanton Chase (Qatar &
Division – GASCO (UAE)
UAE)
Abdulrahman Al Tuwaijri, Saudi Aramco
Advisor Human Capability Division
Managing Partner & Regional Practice Leader,
(Saudi Arabia)
as a key note speaker, focusing on “Leadership HRD Consultant in the Age of Industrial, the EMEA ‘New
Bob Gower, Sakhalin Energy Investment
Co. (Russia)
Duncan Freer, Oil & Gas Job Search, (UK)
Khalid M. Al-Buhairan, Saudi Arabian
Deputy HR Director
Managing Director
Chevron (Kuwait)
Human Resources Manager
Ron Villejo, Emirates National Oil
Company Limited (UAE)
Management Trainer Learning & Development
Centre
Normal’”.
Other Events
Official
Endorser:
HOT SPOTS
Qatar’s National Development Strategy 2011-2016: Population, Labour Force and Qatari
Employment – KEYNOTE
Adopt, Adapt & Implement modern HR practises in the Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals sectors:
Delivering Business Objectives through HR Strategy – INTERACTIVE PANEL DISCUSSION
The role of HR in preparing for tomorrow’s business challenges – INTERACTIVE PANEL
DISCUSSION
Coaching and Mentoring young nationals & grooming them as tomorrows leaders – 13th
April 2010
Associate Sponsors: Strategic Hospitality Partner: Knowledge Partner:
4Stanton Chase Middle East and the CEO Clubs UAE organized an
exclusive senior executive business breakfast on the 24th of May,
in Dubai, sponsored by S.P. Jain Center of Management, Dubai –
Singapore. The topic discussed was “Globalization 4.0 – The New
Paradigm for CEOs”. Key note speaker: Prof. Michael Barnes,
Dean, Global MBA Program, S.P. Jain Center of Management, Dubai
– Singapore. The event was attended by more than 150 senior
executives from the GCC region.
4On the 17th of May 2010, Panos Manolopoulos, Vice Chairman
Regions of Stanton Chase International and Managing Partner Middle
East acted as key note speaker in S.P. Jain Center of Management,
Dubai – Singapore, within the initiative “Visiting Wisdom and CEO
Quest”.
Silver Sponsor:
Supporting Sponsors:
Co-sponsors:

MAY 2010
p3
STANTON CHASE INTERNATIONAL
Middle East
Profile and Mobility Trends
of the Senior Executives in
Middle East
May 2010
On the break of the new era, characterized by many as “the new
normal”, while having “survived” through the turmoil of the 2009
deep recession, the Senior Executives in the Middle East begin to
develop the balances and requirements that will allow them to
further advance their career within this volatile environment.
Though last year was mostly the “year of survival”, this year seems to
head towards “development”. The issues and priorities questioned
during 2009 and the values that seemed to become weaker in view of the
depression are now put into scrutiny and urge senior executives to decide
on the next steps in their career. Even from last year, top executives were
beginning to regard Middle East, and mainly the GCC region, as a market
for long term business development, as opposed to the rather more
opportunistic short-term plans of the past. As such, they had started
questioning quality in general and C-level decision making, raising issues
of personal and career development, shortage in leadership talent as well
as retention of talent in the current GCC environment.
Given the fact that, despite the strong blow and the challenges, the
regional economies emerged as “winners” - compared to other parts of
the world - and still proceed with the regional long-term development
plans, the senior executives seem to feel safe enough to start exploring
professional opportunities, often expressing a dissatisfaction regarding
the managerial decisions and overall culture that emerged through the
2009’s survival policy. As a consequence, development of technical
skills as well as of the personal business network, along with the
need for professional advise and mentoring gain in importance, in
order to allow the executives on one hand to make the next step and, on
the other hand, to face the increasing competition from the still unstable
economies around the world.
Another point that prevails from the above is the need of the companies
as employers to prove their ability to develop an environment that lives
up to the expectations of today’s senior executives, supporting their
Panos Manolopoulos
Exclusive
Newswire
personal and professional growth, while increasing their retention rates.
Regardless of whether the executives are ex-patriats or nationals (as the
last percentage tends to increase, given the on-going nationalization
programs of the Middle Eastern countries), the complexity of their
requirements, combined with the complexity of what is required by
them, shows the way to a era of new leadership that should not be
underestimated. Even though there is a false perception that talent is “in
abundance” due to the recession, the truth is that, despite the increased
competition, competent senior human talent is always scarce to find,
and it will keep being even more difficult. Retention, as well as careful
succession planning, is to become among the top priorities of the
companies that, besides promoting their brand to the clients, would
need to promote their brand to the executive / employee market as
well.
Stanton Chase – Middle East conducted this CEO Census in order
to compile the profile of Senior Executives in the Middle Eastern
region today, analyze the trends in this challenging market,
and comprehend the opportunities and threats in their career
development.
We would like to thank the 638 top executives from the Middle Eastern
market (mainly from the GCC, but also the Levant and North-East Africa)
who responded. It is the second year Stanton Chase – Middle East has run
this comprehensive survey, with the aim to depict preliminary long-term
trends and characteristics over time, starting with the comparison from
last year’s results. These tendencies will be much more clearly outlined
in the future, based on the following years’ respective surveys. This series
of surveys demonstrate Stanton Chase’s commitment to understanding
business leaders’ views shaping the Senior Executives’ career in the region
– and sharing this knowledge with the world at large.
Dr Panos Manolopoulos is Vice Chairman Regions of
Stanton Chase International & Managing Partner Middle East.

MAY 2010
p4
While most regions are seeing salary cut backs, annulled bonuses, and
over all market contractions, Saudi Arabia continues to defy global macro
economic trends as its economy lurches forward and delivers positive
growth in 2010. Given a critical mass of about 30 million people and
robust Oil & Gas resources the country continues to outperform global
markets on what many see as the beginning of a steep growth curve. The
Saudi government has made a commitment to improve infrastructure,
healthcare and education across the Kingdom and this economic
activity complements an already strong natural resource sector. All
of these factors are the drivers behind ambitious forecasts, with many
companies looking to double in size over the next 2 years. The biggest
challenge faced by expanding organizations in the Kingdom is not
the market but finding qualified people who can spearhead the
aggressive expansion plans. While other markets are in contraction
and saturated with talented people looking for work, Saudi has the
opposite problem, a talent shortage.
The talent issue in Saudi is compounded exponentially by demographics,
government regulations, and infrastructure. For example while Saudi
has a population of 30 million people, 38% are under the age of 14 with
the median age in the country for a Saudi National being 21.6 years.
Therefore it has a young and inexperienced workforce which is not yet
qualified to compete on the global stage. “In the future we will eventually
bridge the gap as we are investing heavily in education but it will take at least
10 years for these individuals to mature into seasoned leaders” says Bandar
Bin Mogrin Head of Human Resources at Jadwa.
This would not be an issue if, like Dubai, they could rely on importing
world class leadership from mature markets; but government regulations
are pushing Saudization across all sectors. It is simply getting harder to
get executives into the country. “Despite meeting a minimum quota of
Saudi Nationals on my staff it is still difficult to get visas for my expats. This is
due to the high unemployment rate among Saudi Nationals, which currently
stands at approximately 15-16%.” says Sai Gandhi, Executive Director of
Human Resources for SIPCO, Pepsi Cola.
For those Saudi Nationals who are experienced and qualified they are
reaping the benefits of what could be viewed as the perfect storm. As
the economy continues to expand it is one of the few regions in the
entire world which is still experiencing significant salary growth. GDP
is expected to increase by 3.8% in 2010 and salaries for the year are
expected to increase by at least 8.5%. “Many Saudi’s have received high
STANTON CHASE INTERNATIONAL
Talent KSA
Shane Phillips
Exclusive
Newswire
increases in their salaries in the past 24 months and this is driven by low
supply and high demand of good Saudi Talents” says Bandar Bin Mogrin,
Head of Human Resources for Jadwa. As well the number of start ups and
Greenfield projects in Saudi has increased the demand for qualified Saudi
nationals. All of these trends have forced organizations to change their
over all Human Resource strategies.
While organizations previously saw Human Resources as a tactical
department, they are now viewing the function as a high level strategic
partner. In an economy where the only stumbling block to growth
is talent, organizations in Saudi are now changing from a previous
placid defensive approach where Human Resources was largely
viewed as personnel management to an aggressive offensive
approach aimed at attracting and retaining the best people from all
over the world. We are now witnessing the majority of organizations
completely revamping their Human Resource departments and upgrading
their Human Resource infrastructure while adopting international best
of breed practices. “As this hasn’t been a strong point for Saudi companies
in the past we have very little historical data and no information to build
our talent development programs from. In many instances we are building
the infrastructure from ground zero. The change is seismic currently in the
Kingdom and we are now adapting best in class succession plans, evaluation
systems and compensation and benefit structures” says Emad Fodah,
Head of Human Resources & Administration for Arab Petroleum
Investment Corporation.
While Saudi develops, talent will place a ceiling on how accelerated
its growth curve will be. While there are strategies to counter act the
fundamental drivers of the talent crunch in Saudi, it seems that regulators
and government agencies are compounding the issue rather than
diffusing it. Initially it was believed that Saudi would absorb talent from
the receding markets of Dubai and Kuwait and this has happened to a
certain degree but many people still shy away from taking up residence
in Saudi due to quality of life issues. Saudi companies who are serious
about emerging on the global stage will have to attract the best talent
they can find and will need to over come these challenges in order to
succeed.
Shane Phillips is Consultant with Stanton Chase UAE for Financial Services &
Member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Business Council, Dubai
& Northern Emirates

MAY 2010
p5
From Stanton Chase Around the World
STANTON CHASE INTERNATIONAL
Going Green to
Become Greener
in Consumer Sector Nancy
Think about 1990s: Everybody knew that the Internet was coming …
Here we are 20 years later and the Internet is literally pervasive. I think
“GREEN” will become as pervasive as the Internet is today. It will become
a part of the way we live, the way we do business and how we function
as a society. The impulse to go ‘green’ is spreading faster than morning
glories and organizations of all types are launching green campaigns.
In almost every opinion poll on the subject, customers say that are very
concerned about climate change, and they connect the dots back to their
own purchases. Consumers are no longer just shopping, they are
voting for change.
The polls show that 87% of the customers worry about the environmental
& social impact of the products they buy. However, no more of 33% of
the customers say that they are ready to buy green products or have
done that.
To realize the green market’s true potential, businesses must help
customers by removing the hurdles between intentions and actions.
When customers reach the cash register, they often forget their eco –
friendly attitudes. Businesses can do a lot more to help would be ‘green’
customers walk their talk. Private industry has enormous purchasing
power and is easier to educate. Wal Mart for example has been eager to
spread its environmental Know How as it works with its suppliers to trim
packaging. To increase sales of environmentally sensible products,
companies must also remove five ‘green’ product’s consumption
barriers – lack of awareness, negative perceptions, distrust, high
prices and low availability. In other words, companies have to move
customers through every stage of the purchase process – from being
aware of eco-friendly products to finding them. A business that sells
green products must see itself as an educator not a sales machine.
Going green while staying competitive can be challenging and companies
may rightly ask whether cultivating green customers is worth all the
trouble. I believe that it is more than just worthwhile. It is the imperative
for success. Once obstacles that now make it hard for customers to act in
their environmental beliefs will be removed, sales will explode. Companies
will build a reputation for eco friendliness, more talented employees will
be attracted, the consumers will be more inspired and loyal and higher
prices will be charged for these green products.
Overall, companies refresh their brand, enhance their reputation and
protect their market share from new green competitors.
Carbon Labelling, can be discussed as a more advanced & specific
practice of Retailers and Consumer companies (suppliers), for the
achievement of major customers’ impact and their longevity in the
marketplace. Carbon labels show consumers the “carbon content”
of an individual product; its total amount of carbon dioxide emitted from
every stage of its production and distribution, from source to store. By this,
Exclusive
Newswire
Mathioudaki
products try to build their green credentials and to this effort companies
and retailers are united for.
A good parallel here is calories. “Twenty years ago if you asked somebody
what number of calories was high and what was low they would not
have known. The same thing could happen here.” The portion of the
population that is most interested in sustainability and the early adopters
of sustainable products, are significantly more likely to indicate that these
logos have a high level of purchase impact and that a certification / a seal
mark indicating a product is environmentally friendly raises the likelihood
that it will be bought. Thus, carbon labels could transform the behavior of
companies and consumers.
Carbon Reduction Label was officially launched last year (2008) in
the UK with high street retailer Boots, Tesco, Walkers and Innocent
Drinks agreeing to pilot the scheme and moreover the EU Commission
under its eco-label plan and set individual criteria for each product
group before awarding the Community flower label. Currently, over
3,000 products including detergents, paper and shoes have received
the recognition. Food products will not only be assessed according to
their production processes, but also a lifecycle approach, including the
environmental impact of transport, the agreement states. I agree that the
more regulations we have, actually the easier it will be to market green
products to consumers.
Tesco has already become the first Carbon Trust pilot brand to let
consumers compare the different carbon footprints of similar products,
such as washing detergents, by including the information on packaging.
Giving customers comparable data will improve their understanding of
carbon footprints, says the Carbon Trust’s Euan Murray. “This is the next
revolution that needs to take place,”
“If everyone adopted a western lifestyle,
we would need 5 earths to support us”
James Bruges, author of the “Little Earth” book
Nancy Mathioudaki is Partner in Stanton Chase Athens and EMEA
Regional Practice Leader for Consumer Products and Services at
Stanton Chase International

MAY 2010
p6
My five year assignment in Shanghai had come to an end and I was
off to the Emirate of Dubai to manage a complex consisting of two
beautiful luxury hotels at the famous Mina Seyahi Beach Resort area of
Jumeirah Beach.
Aside from a couple of months of baking heat in July and August, its
summer all year long in Dubai and weather is near perfect. What I like
most about this Emirate is you can enjoy both city and resort lifestyles
seamlessly.
Within a half hours drive from the city center in normal traffic you will
discover several kilometers of picturesque coastline with magnificent
sandy beaches and an eclectic array of world class resorts to rejuvenate
in.
However, compared to previous years, most city centre hotels have seen
their occupancies drop more than the beach side resort hotels on account
of the economic downturn.
Prices have come down and one can enjoy five-star hotels for four-star
prices.
But Dubai has a distinct advantage over most places I have managed
hotels in.
Chiefly, because it offers travellers a multitude of choices as a business
and a holiday destination. This place rivals some of the finest locations
in the world for shopping, recreation, business and holiday making-it is
indeed, as marketers like to say, an all round holistic destination.
Al Fresco dining is one of my favorite pastimes. Coffee culture has been
elevated to an art form in Dubai. Cozy cafes, sizzling restaurants and
bars with great food abound though they tend to be pricey in most hotels
at the moment. I suspect prices will come down somewhat in the near
future to a more reasonable level, reflecting new economic realities and
local market conditions at large.
Sadly, businesses these days tend to base their decisions on fear about
the future, rather than the quality and worth of a product-brand equity
and value for price. Typically business decisions are based on so called
“lagging indicators”- what’s known-i.e on past results, relevant data and
facts with a view of the future.
Today many managers are basing their decisions, or so it seems, more
STANTON CHASE INTERNATIONAL
Why hotels need to
focus on the future
not fear Peter Alatsas
Exclusive
Newswire
on “leading indicators”-what’s unknown-i.e assumptions about the future
that are mostly based on fear and conjecture.
This rather pessimistic approach is a negative self-fulfilling prophecy,
which can only perpetuate the very conditions we are trying to escape
from, deflation, which is likely to prolong the economic hardships at the
expense of a more rapid recovery.
Hotels the world over have been adversely affected due to the credit
crunch. Despite the economic downturn, Dubai expects to receive just
over 7 million visitors in 2010 – a slight increase over 2009 levels.
However, the concern is that travellers are spending less than in previous
years and as a consequence sales have dropped resulting in lower
yields. This is to say, whilse occupancies in many cases have remained
reasonably high, earnings have dropped below acceptable levels since
customers are more frugal, fearing that the worst is yet to come. Many
consumers still fear they might lose their jobs in the not so distant’
future.
Economists ominously warn about the toxic combination of rising
unemployment and falling prices which can be devastating (deflation) as
we experienced during the great depression and Japan’s lost decade in
the 1990’s.
I know from experience having served twice in Japan during those
difficult times first in Tokyo and then in Kyoto. Deflation needless to
say is very undesirable. As unemployment rises and consumers spend
less, businesses reduce prices, but if sales do not pick up, then revenue
declines further, compelling businesses to reduce wages and/or eliminate
jobs. This becomes a vicious cycle that is very difficult to reverse as
history has shown.
For one, we can help reverse this cycle if we change our attitude.
We can also change our psychology by thinking and talking about
recovery while learning from past mistakes.
Peter Alatsas is the General Manager of the Complex:
Mina Seyahi, Westin and Meridien

MAY 2010
p7
E
xecutives, once at that exclusive and
illustrious level, no longer have the luxury
of applying for a job through the regular
means which were available to them during the
earlier part of their careers: an ad in the paper,
or on an online job board, or just randomly
approaching target employers by mailing a
CV. At Senior and executive levels, individuals
seeking a change need to reconsider the usual
push strategy and employ a more drawn out, pull
strategy and this requires is a switch in mindset
that they have to get acquainted with.
There is of course another more obvious reason
for this change in strategy. CXO opportunities are
simply not advertised or declared vacant. Roles
at the C-Suite are highly sensitive, and are 99%
of the times treated in complete confidentiality
until a candidate is identified and the vacancy
is filled. Even the transition is handled with a
lot of delicate and carefully planned steps and
announcements.
So how does a leader at senior or executive level
go about finding his next role. The answer is
pretty simple. What are the 3 N’s of Successful
Executive Job-Searching? Networking,
Networking, Networking! Here are four essential
steps that are designed to help executives like
you get the next position or manage a career
change.
Uncover your Brand!
“I begin with saying uncover”, because I guarantee
that you already have a brand, whether you are
aware of it or not. It may or may not be the brand
that you are aiming for, or the brand that you like,
or it may not even be so greatly publicized, but
rest assured that you have a brand. You need
to start by understanding that without a personal
brand strategy, it will be difficult to get on the
STANTON CHASE INTERNATIONAL
Job Search Strategies for
Executive Level Leaders
radar for the ever elusive, $1 Million plus income.
Not that it’s a guaranteed result, that if you build
your brand, you will automatically earn $1Million
dollars a year. Like all brands and products it’s a
continuous set of criteria and steps that you take
to travel up that income scale, while fighting for
that same income with other executives who are
also working on theirs.
So start with one fact. You are a brand. Now you
need to act upon that fact if you have not started
to, and if you truly want to have a successful
life. A successful personal branding program
is based on its ability to create in the mind of
your prospective customers or employers that
there is no product (in this case, you, a person)
in the market quite like you! Of course your
brand needs to deliver on your promise. A good
branding program will be made up of a number
of elements that will help you audit, understand,
uncover and develop your personal brand to
meet your career objectives.
Get Connected!
Of course, in today’s world, there is no hiding
your personal brand. Did you Google your
name lately? If you have a name like mine, it’s
difficult to miss. I can tell you for a fact that there
is no other person in the world called Wassim
Karkabi. It is not the case for Suresh Kumar, or
John Smith. But don’t confuse your brand with
your name, they are connected, but they are two
different things.
If you are not already taking advantage of the
burgeoning world of Social Networks, Business
Networks, Blogs and other such tools, also
collectively referred to as Social Media, you
should take a serious look at how you need
to implement that. President Obama, Sheikh
Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Al Gore
Wassim Karkabi
Exclusive
Newswire
etc… are all on LinkedIn, Facebook and a
number of other social media. Think of it this
way. Before the availability of Mass Media
such as Radio, TV, and print, we did not have
the ability to mass market. Now the availability
and combination of Online Social Media and
search engines such as Google, have given
the individual the ability to promote his personal
brand, on a shoestring budget.
Be aware, that there is the right way of going
about this and the wrong way of doing the same.
The wrong way may be as damaging to your
career and brand, as the right way can explode
your career to new heights.
Embrace Relationship Networking
Networking today has also taken on a new and
different life. It has become this vague concept
that applies to everything from blogging to
sending a message on twitter or growing your
connections on LinkedIn. What I want you to
wrap your head around is targeted, relationship
networking. Identifying your market niche and
network within it, get connected to people, add
value to their lives, individually, and build a
sustainable relationship with them.
Unless you are a recruiter, there is really no
point in being connected to 15,000 first-level
connections on LinkedIn. It makes more sense
to be connected with a handful of CXO’s in your
industry of preference and the equally relevant
executive search consultants. Those are the
people that will reciprocate the value that you are
adding to them, when the time comes. Think
of those online social media as Recommender
Communities. Build & grow your own networks
within relevant recommender communities. I
cannot stress enough how important it is for
senior & executive level people to get on LinkedIn.
>>>

MAY 2010
p8
Job Search Strategies for Executive Level Leaders
It is an extremely powerful and completely
flexible tool for your personal brand development
and promotion.
A second kind of platform that you should look
out for and explore is the plethora of growing
online executive job boards. They tend to be just
below the CXO roles, but would usually list the
most senior of roles possible to list online without
causing damage. Usually this will be Director
level roles with some regional responsibilities
and will tend to pay north of $150,000 US per
annum. The system works differently there.
The executive will usually pay to be listed on that
database, to anonymously receive information
on opportunities. But it differs with every
platform. I encourage you to look at some of the
following platforms, such as: ExecuNet, Exec-
Appointments, Blue Steps, and the likes. Blue
steps can only be accessed by Executive Search
consultants registered with the Association of
Executive Search Consultants, which will give
you immediate exposure to over 200 Executive
Search firms with a worldwide presence.
And the final word on Relationship Networking
is that you really cannot ignore the old, tried
and tested. An in person presence at social
gatherings and networking events, especially
designed to connect executives together, is
invaluable. The opportunity to meet new people
at your level, in a casual environment is just too
good to pass on. Don’t stock up on business
cards, and don’t go mad handing out cards to
everyone. Take only a few, say ten or twenty
cards, so you make sure you make them
count. Make sure to split them in a fair share
between executive search consultants and
other executives. Most importantly, after the
event, follow up and build a relationship. The
networking event is a means to end. What you
need to be doing is talking more to the people
with whom you met and seeing which of them
work for a relevant company, get to know them
better, learn about their business, and make a
friend. One day when the opportunity presents
itself, this relationship will bear fruit.
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Befriend the Headhunters
As you can imagine by now, if you are using
a pull strategy, you need to be pulling people
towards you. Any company that is worth its size,
and that would likely pay you the top dollar you
are looking to earn in a CXO role, will usually
engage an Executive Search firm like Stanton
Chase, and many others, to help them identify
the right individual for the role that they have
open. In rare cases, you may be approached
directly, either formally or casually, from the
would-be employer. Generally speaking, it is
a fact that executives, prefer to go through an
executive search consultant, better known as
headhunter, in order to enjoy the same level of
confidentiality and due diligence that is afforded
to an employer, and not jeopardize their current
position.
Despite the fact that headhunters understand the
role of a passive candidate, using a pull strategy,
we always appreciate being approached by
executives. The best time for an executive
or manager in a senior leadership position to
approach an executive search consultant is
when that executive just received an award,
received a huge bonus, got a promotion etc… In
brief you are on the rise, and you are just building
a relationship for the future. The worse time to
approach a headhunter is when you are made
redundant or after you have resigned. It puts
an undue amount of pressure on the headhunter
to help. The executive search consultant
may or may not have an opportunity to do so.
Executives must understand that an executive
search consultant’s ability to help in making
a quick introduction to an employer is limited
to the positions that they have currently open.
Headhunters will not go around prospecting
candidate profiles, even on the request of the
executive himself. We are just not geared for that
kind of work. With some key clients, executive
search consultants may be able to effect what
we call “Creative Introductions”, and still remain
within our terms and conditions, despite that
there is no active and open role, and if such a
clause is originally included in an ongoing frame
agreement. These cases are very very rare.
Exclusive
Newswire
So, only with executive search consultants, you
can continue to use a push strategy, and contact
them directly to build a relationship and put a
face to your brand, over coffee, lunch, ice cream,
or a simple meeting at the headhunter’s office.
The key in getting the correct response with
this approach is to understand how Executive
Search companies are structured. There are
generalist and specialist executive search firms.
The specialist would obviously be specialized in
a specific sector of the market, such as Financial
Services, Oil & Gas, etc… or in Functional roles,
such as just CFO or CMO roles. There are also
the generalist executive search firms, who will
tend to have a number of consultants or partners
on board, who themselves are specialized in
different sectors.
As I mentioned in the beginning, this approach
is a drawn out, pull strategy, with a proactive
relationship building combination. Needless to
say, you need to start immediately, especially
if you are happily and gainfully employed. It is
the best time to connect. If you ever want to
be considered for those
Million Dollar earning
opportunities, you
need to be ready,
branded, with
the right level of
exposure through
the right channels
and the right
people.
Wassim Karkabi is the Managing Partner of Stanton
Chase Qatar and UAE & EMEA Regional Practice Leader,
Industrial at Stanton Chase International