Executive Search
AIMS International, an Executive Search organization, specializes in recruiting talent for senior management positions. Examples of roles that we specialize include Vice President, CIO, COO and CEO jobs.
Sourcing and selection practices for top management positions are significantly more sophisticated than general recruiting practices. Therefore, in today’s race for the best and the brightest a honed executive search recruiting service is a necessity. AIMS International utilises only the best corporate executive recruiting strategies in recruiting for top management positions.
The outstanding features that we bring to the executive search process in order to ensure quality and reliability, while recognizing that every executive search is different includes:
- An extensive network of high-profile executives based on AIMS International trustworthiness & professional reputation which facilitates a timeous executive search recruiting process.
- Thorough familiarity with the candidates' professional record.
- Shorter length of the executive search procedure due to extensive knowledge of the key professionals of each local/regional market – allowing us to target individuals for top management positions within your industry effectively.
- Expertise in the top executive market and compensation & benefits schemes.
- Implementation of highly defined executive recruiting strategies.
- Application of uncompromising ethical & business standards in attracting and evaluating executives.
- Observing comprehensive & meticulous confidentiality throughout the whole executive search process.
Case Study 1:
DATE: 3/28/2003
Vice President / Chief Information Officer
THE SITUATION
The Information Technology function of this $1B retailer with over 5,000 US outlets, had not developed a strategic vision of its role in the business; nor had it demonstrated the ability to leverage technology to increase productivity and performance in the organization.
OUR APPROACH
Through our define stage of the executive search process, three issues were identified; Current CIO did not possess strategic planning skills required to push innovation and develop an IT strategic plan. The CIO's experience was purely technological and lacked general business expertise. This issue, combined with the lack of IT involvement in the overall business planning process, disempowered both the position and the IT organization. The CIO reported to an Executive Vice President of one of the business units. This alignment diminished the CIO's ability to plan and prioritize for the entire company and biased his application of technology.
OUR EXECUTIVE SEARCH SOLUTION
In order to be successful, we made two recommendations; Reconstitute the CIO position as a direct report to the President/CEO and rewrite the job responsibilities to reflect the new requirements of the position. Replace the current executive with an experienced CIO who has demonstrated strategic planning skills and has leveraged technology into different divisions. This candidate must possess a strong business background and the management capability to work effectively, as a peer, with senior management. We implemented the above recommendations by; Educating senior management on the expanded role of a CIO. Establishing the CIO position on a "level playing field" with other senior executives formulating a job description and responsibilities for the CIO position; including the first year deliverables.
We carefully prepared the successful candidate.
Case Study 2:
DATE: 3/28/2003
Developing and Recruiting an IS Function
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THE SITUATION
A $1B national financial services organization retained us when it was in the process of a divestiture. The surviving organization was left without an IS function.
OUR APPROACH
As part of our consultative approach, we partnered with the COO to address several strategic issues prior to approaching the CIO executive search:
- Short term - Review alternatives and recommend how the Company could keep their current systems running. Evaluate outsourcing activities and who may be viable vendors. Determine the feasibility of the acquiring company maintaining the systems in the interim. If so, how long? And terms of the agreement?
- Long term - The corporate headquarters was moving from the southeast to
a major east coast city. Where should the new IS organization reside - in
the headquarters' city or a neighboring suburban location? What is the skill
set required for this CIO position? What type of IS organization is required
to address and support the business needs?
From the substantial analysis conducted before the CIO search began, we were able to provide the following recommendations:
Redefine the CIO position description to support the needs of the organization - combination of strategic and general management skills with strong hands-on, technical understanding. Provide a plan of action to decentralize the IS organization and suggested suburban communities that would provide an employee population that could support the business needs. Outsource the non-valued added utilities (i.e. help desk, data center, etc.). Suggested the creation of a development team to coordinate corporate planning activities with the functional positions in the IS organization (i.e. business analysts).
OUR EXECUTIVE SEARCH SOLUTION
We worked with the senior management team to help resolve many IS business
issues that were associated with the business divestiture. By identifying and
addressing the Company's short and long term issues, we completed the groundwork
for the new the CIO to plan and implement the organizational development strategy.
Recruiting a CIO with the right skills for this position also would attract
the right team members to get the new IS organization up and running.

