EXECUTIVES RISE

The quarterly Boyden Executive Outlook, from Boyden Global Executive Search claims executive hiring is maintaining good demand with some areas of growth to look forward to in the new year. Roles in technology, human resources and not-for-profit organisations all hold promise for 2012.

Trina Gordon, President and CEO of Boyden World Corporation suggests the time has come for new hires to reflect the economic conditions in which organisations now find themselves: "Companies are facing challenging markets and are prepared to hire leaders who can effectively steer them through the 'new normal'," she says. "In developing regions, organisations are looking for senior executives who can apply strong global experience to further drive growth opportunities in local markets."

Ms Gordon reports a good level of search activity in Europe the end of last year, despite the apparent cautiousness of most employers. While this trend is likely to continue into the new year it seems clear organisations are keen to find effective leaders who will make a difference to their business. Leadership skills, and the ability to impact on the bottom line are particularly important.

One example of where these trend are manifesting themselves is in the global IT markets: "We are seeing a great deal of movement in the top finance position within small-cap companies,” says John Holland, Managing Director of Boyden San Francisco. “As companies become bigger and more complex, many are looking for experienced CFOs who can deliver results."

Within this sector in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), infrastructure consolidation projects are driving demand for skills. "Operators need to re-invent their business plans due to increasing data traffic and decreasing revenues per user, whilst also strongly cutting their cost structures for infrastructure and marketing,” says Andreas Landgrebe, Managing Director of Boyden CEE and Austria.

Retenrtion programmes, employee motivation and engagement are top of the list for HR executives at the moment. "In the US, we're seeing an uptick in demand for senior HR leaders with global experience, and great ability to understand challenges associated with managing a diverse workforce across multiple time zones and cultures," said Greg Coleman, a Managing Director of Boyden New York.

To some extent, the various elements of the financial crisis have now become part and parcel of everyday business life. Finding the right executive who matches company aspirations, understands the potential of the market place and can operate under the increased pressure of business life is now more important than ever before.