Last spring, when I sat down on the terrace of a hotel in Madrid with my new (then future) business partner we were talking over our experiences with headhunting in the retail and consumer sector. My partner as experienced international manager and now an advisor for several private equity companies and boards and me as a seasoned executive search manager. Chatting we came to the same conclusion: there is room for a company which can offer a real high-quality boutique service in the retail and consumer sector at an international level. That’s how everything started……
It was clear to us, that both candidates and companies, often do not get the service and attention they deserve. Candidates are not called back, do not receive transparent feedback, are contacted for inadequate projects etc. Additionally, companies get approached by executive search companies which invest little to get to know the real company needs, with little sector expertise or it looks that they are more interested in selling candidates than looking for a business solution and a long-term partnership.
You can say that there are globally two types of executive search firms. There are at one end, the large firms with big international brand names and appealing revenues per year.
At the other end, there are the boutique firms normally specialized in a sector or a function. They have a smaller company structure with a more personal approach, a smaller workload, more in-depth sector expertise, less bureaucracy and more possibilities to adapt the organization to specific client needs.
We at Sedna believe strongly in the boutique approach and we are convinced that most client companies get better results by partnering with the right boutique company. Bigger is not better in executive search. In fact, big search firms often face significant obstacles to client service.
Another aspect in executive search is the cross border and international approach. Nowadays with the globalization it is important that client companies not only can count on national candidates, but also can consider international candidates. Furthermore, it is important that candidate clients have both national as well as international career opportunities.
Sedna Executive Search wants to become a referent as a global boutique executive search firm dedicated to the Consumer & Retail sector. Our belief is that any talent search should be defined by commitment, quality, integrity & trust, entrepreneurial spirit & courage, attributes that form the core values of Sedna. I hope we will have the opportunity to get in touch with you as candidate or as company do demonstrate our high-quality service. Feel free to contact us!
Martin Poppe, Founder and Managing Partner, Sedna Executive Search, 27 July 2017.
