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【技术产业】在亚洲招聘生物技术公司CEO
Recruitment of CEOs in the Asia Pacific biotech industry is beginning to gear up again. Nick Stephens, chief executive of life science recruiters RSA, looks at some of the challenges that lie ahead.
It's the most critical recruitment challenge facing any company - finding a new CEO. Make the right decision and the organisation moves smoothly towards achieving its objectives. Hire in error and disaster is bound to follow.
For most biotech companies there tends to be three distinct CEO phases. The first CEO is most likely to be the founder scientist. At this point in the company's evolution, the majority of the staff will be science-based and the CEO will be comfortable in this highly technical role, managing fellow scientists.
During the second phase, the company shifts from being a purely research-driven business into a more commercial entity bringing on-stream more functions including business development, later phase clinical research and strategic marketing. It's as these functions develop, that the company may seek out a CEO with proven capabilities to raise finance or even to take the company to an IPO.
The third evolutionary stage is when the firm has products heading for the market place. At this point, the board may consider a new CEO with proven experience in a "product" company who has taken products through the commercial pipeline, is familiar with stock market regulations and has relationships with the investment banking community. It's possible for the CEO appointed at stage two to take the company into stage three.
So how should Asia Pacific biotechs go about looking for a new CEO? The starting point for the board should be to draw up a comprehensive understanding of the mission of the company, including its long-range operating plan, and agree on the specifications being sought in the new leader.
Companies would be well advised to partner with a renowned executive search company, with a solid track record of hiring CEOs. They should not go it alone when it comes to finding a new CEO. It may be that the board, or the funder, has someone in mind who they think will fit the bill. This individual should, of course, be drawn into the recruitment process. But the decision to bring in a new CEO is so crucial to the very essence of the business and its future, that an exhaustive search is the only way to ensure due diligence.
Biotech companies should also consider a recruitment partner specialising in this sector. These firms will use their knowledge of the industry and their network of contacts to identify suitably experienced individuals and bring the opportunity to the attention of the widest range of suitable candidates, many of whom will not be active on the job market.
The primary criteria for selecting a particular search firm should be the confidence of the search company. Ask them: How many CEO searches have they undertaken? What are the names of companies where they have successfully placed a CEO? Will the consultant involved in the initial briefing personally conduct the search? What resources do they have to apply to the search and where is their network?
The objective criteria in the selection process will be to check that the candidate has moved through the appropriate business levels and gained relevant experience and expertise. But the attributes that have greatest impact on a candidate's success are the qualitative, rather than the quantitative, factors. No amount of spreadsheet analysis will tell you how able an individual is going to be at inspiring the workforce to follow, trust and believe in their new CEO.
Success or failure of a chief executive is usually defined by their so-called softer skills — their personal interaction and their ability to listen, communicate and follow-through.
Rarely do CEOs fail due to a lack of their technical skills. Failure is more commonly due to the inability of the organisation to flourish on the interpersonal side of the business. Put bluntly, either the CEO does not get along with the team or the team does not get along with the CEO.
Some qualities to look for in a new CEO are:
Integrity and judgment
Vision
Willingness to listen
Ability to lead, energise staff and develop talent
International know-how
Financial understanding
History of personal success
Demonstrates learning from past mistakes
From start to finish, placing a new CEO typically takes six to twelve months. There are several reasons why it takes so long. Candidates are more discerning. They are more aware of the upside and downside risks. As senior executives, they will already be operating at a high level and will need more time to extricate themselves from their current employer. At least three or four board members will want to meet the candidates and they will all have busy schedules to synchronise. For candidates outside the region, there are the added factors of time differences and long distances to attend interviews and meetings.
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-03-10 17:12
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