Global headhunters seek Turkish executives

GÖKHAN KURTARAN

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

Representatives from several international headhunter companies say employing Turkish employees is becoming a trend for corporations. Being raised in an emerging market, practical attitudes and ability to adapt to new conditions are the basic advantages of Turkish professionals

Qualified Turkish employees could fill the talent gap in many international companies seeking growth in other emerging markets, said several representatives of Executive Search Worldwide, or INAC, the global headhunter companies’ body.

“Turkey is already the global center of talented, well educated, experienced executives, who respect the cultural values and background of others and can adapt to varying business environments,” said Ali Midillili, founder of MSearch Turkey, a research and consultancy firm, at the “Bridging the Talent Gap,” conference held in Istanbul on Monday.

Some 26 global executive search companies from 35 countries attended the event.

“We have not yet received inquiry for Turkish executives,” said Yvonne Borg, representative of Pro Astri, a Swedish firm. As the interest in emerging markets increase, Turkish experience would be more crucial in international companies, she told the Hürriyet Daily News.

Noting that Turkish economy’s was resilient during the global economic crisis, “Swedish firms aiming to grow in new markets will start seeking for Turkish executives with noteworthy experience,” she said.

“The times that the international companies were managing the business abroad with expatriates are over today,” said Giles Huart, regional consultant of Target, an Austria-based executive search firm.

Underlining the increasing need for local executives in growing markets, Huart told the Daily News that Turkish executives were capable of improving new perspectives on matters. “They are practical in finding innovative solutions to problems that might seem impossible to solve for others,” he said. According to Huart, more international companies will need to employ Turkish executives as Turkey has “big role and presence” in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.

Many Dutch firms in the Turkish market highly prefer the local knowledge of the Turkish executives, said Onno Kervers, consul general for the Netherlands in Istanbul. “A remigration is also taking place as many Turks who were born or lived in the Netherlands return to Turkey to work in Dutch companies,” Kervers said. “Global headhunters are ready to take advantage of the qualified Turkish executives.”

“Turks and Germans create unbeatable duos in business,” Norbert Klein, chief executive of Bosch Siemens, told the Daily News. “We are highly encouraging Turkish employees to climb up to higher positions in our company.” According to him, comparatively it was easier to locate Turkish executives in Germany only a few years ago but today the trend has changed and these executives work in Istanbul. “Meanwhile, it is even more difficult to convince German executives to work in Turkey,” said Klein, concluding that the best way to employ Turkish executives is to be based in Turkey.

via Global headhunters seek Turkish executives – Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review.