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Precision Instruments - General Manager Japan (Retained Search)
After successfully placing a Japan Representative Director with one of its group companies, the parent company asked Optia to conduct a General Manager search for another of its newly acquired entities.
The client was a UK based leader of precision instrumentation and controls, employing more than 5000 people under 15 group companies with sales revenues of more than US$900 million.
The company had a long history in manufacturing for the aviation industry and in recent years embarked on an aggressive acquisition plan to expand its business and market presence. Over an 11 year period it acquired several instrumentation and control companies transforming the company into an umbrella structure holding 15 businesses in total. Optia Partners successfully completed a Representative Director of Japan for one of its other group companies and was asked to conduct a General Manager of Japan search for another of its group companies.
The company was a division of a major electronics manufacturer before it was acquired and renamed by the main holding company. There were approximately 40 employees in Japan and the holding company wanted a new General Manager for the new organization.
The first step was to interview the client to clearly understand the reporting lines and organizational structure of the newly acquired company and if there were any sensitive issues which needed to be addressed with existing employees. It seemed that there was a sentiment of uncertainty amongst the existing employees and the new GM needed to be brought on soon.
Through a combination of existing candidates in Optia’s network and the use of a pro-active referral approach, the manufacturing recruiting team managed to identify a larger than expected pool of candidates. Over the next few weeks, the assigned consultant and researcher began a phone and face to face screening process trying to identify candidates with not only the right qualifications and experience, but also the type of leadership presence that could win employee confidence.
There were only 2 candidates who had the right kind of charisma and really suited the role and Optia organized initial meetings with the holding company’s Director of Operations. The client agreed that both candidates were very strong for the role and wanted to proceed with further interviews, including meetings with 2 of the managers at the newly acquired company. During the process, one of the candidates decided not to continue further with interviews due to family issues. The other candidate continued through the process and was eventually secured for the client company.
The candidate was happy to accept the offer. The task of taking on a newly acquired company with existing staff and developing its own brand of corporate culture seemed like an interesting challenge. The client was very pleased as they found a seasoned manager who had experience as a Country Manager in a European precision instrument company and as Division Manager in a large Japanese electronics manufacturer. He was a strong communicator with good leadership presence and possessed the type of self-confidence that the employees needed to see.
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