Life Sciences, uno de los sectores más prometedores para el empleo directivo en 2019

Last week, a roundtable on Executive Search (Headhunting) was held at the modern facilities of Caixa Forum in Madrid and organized by the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of Spain. Some of the most reputable Consultants in the country came together to provide current data and projections on management executives in Spain, the most sought-after positions and trends among the top promising sectors.

The panel started with a brief introduction by Luis Truchado, Partner/Director of EuroGalenus on the current state of the global headhunting market. He offered data from the Association of Executive Search Consultants, AESC about the most promising sectors for Board and Senior Executive levels, with Health/Life Sciences, topping the expectations along with Industry and Technology. The AESC’s portal for candidates, Bluesteps offers lots of tips and advice, as well as being a valuable tool to identify the reputable search firms in any country plus the Consultants specialized in each industry.

Miguel Angel Zuil, Managing Partner for Boyden in Spain, carried out a detailed analysis on Diversity and Inclusion, which in Spain must start with gender equality. Zuil offered comparisons from IBEX35 companies, the CNMV and the European Commission, and argued about the initiatives in various organizations sharing some useful recommendations for managing them effectively. Miguel Angel Zuil, Managing Partner for Boyden in Spain, carried out a detailed analysis on Diversity and Inclusion, which in Spain must start with gender equality. Zuil offered comparisons from IBEX35 companies, the CNMV and the European Commission, and argued about the initiatives in various organizations sharing some useful recommendations for managing them effectively.

Marta Garrigues, Partner at Amrop Seeliger y Conde, focused her intervention on technologies affecting the recruiting process. Garrigues noted how technologies have influenced new forms of searching talent for companies, and to find opportunities for candidates. Communication models have changed remarkably into mobile. She also shared her vision for the impressive development of Big Data, Analytics and their value as complementary tools in the daily work of the Executive Search Consultant.

She recommended an open perspective along the interviews process, preserving confidentiality, which is the value of a Trusted Advisor -human- that remains much needed and, in board jobs, indispensable.

Plácido Fajardo, Managing Partner of Leaderland, closed the panel with a celebrated intervention on professional cycles and change decisions. He noted how important it is to understand this concept for the Executive Search professional and to know how to evaluate a candidate correctly, considering the decisions he/she has made during their professional career and the timing when they decided to change. Plácido invited the attendees themselves to self-assess in this exercise to achieve our career goals and stressed the importance of constant learning.

At the end of the presentations, an interesting Q&A debate took place, where attendees, mostly alumni of international business schools, participated in a lively discussion about the relations between Consultants and candidates, to continue the always valued face-to-face networking.