For over 40 years, our Executive Search team has worked to grow our team and our capabilities to meet the needs of our clients regionally, nationally, and internationally. To strengthen our international reach, FGP partners with the International Executive Search Federation (IESF), one of the world’s most recognized international executive search groups.
IESF was founded in 2002 by partners in Asia and Europe, and with 40+ offices across over 25 countries, it is a growing global executive search group that continues to expand as the demand for executive search services in new markets and industries grows. In this year alone, 3 new partner companies were added.
FGP is proud to be the United States partner for IESF, enhancing our international connectivity as our clients compete for talent in a global marketplace, with our Vice President, Steve Hall, serving as the Country Manager.
In September, Steve joined country partners from the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa in Singapore for the annual IESF partner meeting. He shared his thoughts below.
As I made the very long trek from South Carolina to South Korea and finally Singapore, there is no way to describe the anticipation of experiencing new cultures, food, and languages for the first time. But equally as important was my eagerness to deepen and build new relationships with colleagues from around the globe. So many questions on my mind about the various economies thousands of miles away where government systems vary, and even cultural values have varied qualities. The 3 primary topics all 26 partner countries had in common were:
- The continued candidate/labor shortage (apart from a country like India where talent seems to be in great supply).
- The early adoption of utilizing AI within the Executive and Professional recruiting industry – all agree that there appears to be efficiency advantages, but all agreed we must proceed with caution and focus on validation and quality of outcomes. An AI study group was formed as a result.
- All 26 partner countries confirmed that expansion of client businesses to locations around the globe continues to grow.
To date in 2023, IESF has experienced a record year, and there is much hope this will continue within the partner network until the group gathers again in Amsterdam next year. We are grateful for the opportunity for our team to learn and grow with IESF, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership!
