Key Industries
Member Login
Case Studies
Automotive Electronics Supplier - Japan Country Manager (Retained Search)
A higher profiled Country Manager was required to manage a growing organization, however due to the remote location of the Japanese office, the task of identifying a willing candidate was proving to be difficult.
The client is a UK based provider of electronic devices and materials for the PCB and automotive markets and one of the world’s oldest manufacturers in its field with operations in more than 35 countries globally and yearly sales revenues in excess of US$3 Billion.
The client’s existing ‘playing’ Sales and Marketing Manager had successfully launched their start up office in Japan and the company was ready to grow its operations with an optimistic outlook for the coming years. The Sales and Marketing Manager was capable however the company felt they needed a higher profiled executive for the role of Japan Country Manager. The firm had been searching for more than 8 months and had been unsuccessful mainly due to their location in an isolated city far from the major cities. The main customer focus was to be the automotive market, so they needed a competent General Manager with a sales and marketing background focused on the automotive sector and who was willing to relocate if necessary.
For the due diligence and feasibility phase, the Technology team worked with the Manufacturing recruiting team to identify possible leads in the automotive electronics industry and came up with a list of over 70 related contacts. Optia presented a clear recruiting plan with a realistic time schedule and the client agreed that a retained search would be the best approach due to the sensitivity of the assignment.
Optia conducted initial client interviews with the APAC Regional Director who the position would be reporting to and the HR Management team based in Hong Kong. The parameters of the search were set and the challenge to identify a short list of qualified candidates for the Regional Director’s visit to Japan in 3 weeks was agreed upon.
Three members of the Technology team set about the task of executing a referral plan from the existing 70 contacts and screening potential candidates over the following weeks. The client was updated weekly and provided with resumes and consultant’s comments on initial screening. By the 3rd week, four appropriate candidates were scheduled and prepared to meet the APAC Regional Manager.
The client decided on a candidate who had long, extensive experience selling to the automotive sector and proven general management experience in a global environment. Optia assisted the client in providing accommodation near the work site for the candidate to use during the working week, allowing him time to spend with his family during the weekends. The employment contract was signed within 5 weeks of initiating the assignment.
©2006 Optia Partners. All rights reserved.