AESC member retained executive search firm Salveson Stetson Group predicts a strong increase in demand for the role of Head of Global Talent Management over the next five years.

As more companies compete globally, they will need to manage an increasingly global workforce – but the pipeline of leaders with experience managing their company’s human capital on a global basis is short, the firm said.

“It has been interesting to watch companies transform from multi-nationals to truly global organizations over the past decade,” said Sally Stetson, Co-Founding Principal and Human Resources Practice Leader at Salveson Stetson Group. “Skills like multi-cultural leadership, which were not even on the radar screen 10 years ago, are now critical to success as companies manage employees, partners, and customers across the world.”

“Think about the implications of this new landscape for Human Resources leadership,” Stetson said. “At this point, many companies don’t have a fully integrated global HR function capable of telling them how many employees work for them, let alone an infrastructure capable of global performance management, executive development and succession planning.”

Other global workplace trends that Salveson Stetson Group is following include:

• Executives who have accepted international assignments will likely be in high demand – and will find that their overseas experience helps them when they return home. “It was not uncommon for an executive who served overseas for several years to return home and find there was no position for her. Companies did not always do a good job of managing the return of talent from around the globe, which was a terrible waste given the significant investment made in expatriate assignments. With a Global Talent Management Leader in place, an executive will find that her career – not just her assignment – is being managed.”

• Increasingly, companies are looking for alternatives to traditional expatriate assignments. “Traditional expatriate packages generally come with a hefty price tag, including enhanced benefits ranging from housing subsidies to educational assistance for dependent children to potential severance packages if a position is not available when the executive returns home.  Companies are looking for ways to reduce that financial burden, including the option of short-term assignments – lasting one to 12 months – directed at building a particular skill set without the expense or disruption of a full family relocation.”

• College graduates are better prepared to compete in a global marketplace. “With 14 percent of college students now studying abroad for at least one semester, employers are finding that even entry-level hires come with some overseas experience. Watch for this trend to continue.”

Stetson said that employers’ growing need for Global Talent Management leaders is not limited to just North America.

“When we talk with our executive search colleagues around the world from IIC Partners, this is the number one topic in the human resources industry. Everyone knows they need to be searching for someone to fill this position – and they know they need to be looking globally for those candidates.”

About Salveson Stetson Group
Salveson Stetson Group is a multi-specialty retained executive search firm based in suburban Philadelphia.  Employing a strong focus on cultural fit, the firm delivers executive search services globally across major industry and functional areas ranging from Fortune 50 to emerging companies with specialty practice groups in Life Sciences, Wholesale Distribution, Human Resources and Finance. Salveson Stetson Group is a member firm of IIC Partners, a top ten worldwide executive search organization with 56 offices in 38 countries, and a member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants. This partnership with IIC expands our global reach while capitalizing on the local market expertise of each IIC member firm.

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