COVID-19 An Industrial Evolution? Leadership Interview

As the COVID-19 lockdown in China was the first to ease, the world watched keenly for lessons learned. Meanwhile, a new balance between executive role experience and competency is emerging. When everything is difficult, when wicked dilemmas..Read more

Latin American Board Ready-Women - A Win-Win for Global Boards?

The best global Boards understand the importance of reflecting their organization’s diversity; their employees, consumers, shareholders and their wider communities. Diversity gives a voice to the needs of key stakeholder groups. It improves the..Read more

A High Rise | Leadership interview with Christine Baldwin

The world has been forever changed by COVID-19, and the commercial real estate sector is facing an unprecedented threat. The pandemic has forced us all to work in new ways, throwing into question the true value of a 5 day office-based working week.Read more

Mental Wellbeing in the Age of Covid | Interview with Dr. Hazel Harrison

Despite recent advances, the approach to mental health and wellbeing at work is still a burgeoning topic for many organizations. Covid-19 has disrupted routines and office-based working environments. The stress and anxiety caused by the economic and..Read more

New Adventurous Leadership 2 | Business Modernism

The coronavirus crisis has brought us closer to ‘Business Modernism’, showing us that organizations need a new breed of adventurous leader who can develop a new interface between people and technology. Futurist Nils Elmark explains.Read more

A New Model For Digital Competencies | SKILLS

So far, we have unpacked three dimensions of our Digital Competency Model: Strategy, Organization and Culture. The race to digitize has confirmed the CIO’s role as a defining one in modern business. The bandwidth to ‘stop missing out on digital..Read more

COVID-19 An Industrial Evolution? | CEO Interview 2

In Amrop’s continuing study of how COVID-19 is affecting business worldwide, we speak to a captain of American industry. Chris Connor is CEO of The American Association of Port Authorities, whose members shepherd more than $2.6 trillion of cargo..Read more

A New Model For Digital Competencies | CULTURE

As Peter Drucker famously said: “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” The fast-moving and complex environment of digitization is no exception to the rule. For a digital strategy to grow and flourish, it must be rooted in a working culture that..Read more

Covid 19 | An Industrial Evolution? CEO Interview

In a new world marked by COVID-19, industry is facing unprecedented pressure from all sides to maintain production, job stability and wealth creation. Politically and socially that pressure often takes on a protectionist, national focus. But for some..Read more

A New Model For Digital Competencies | ORGANIZATION

Navigating the organizational terrain of digitization is an uphill struggle for digital leaders. Our 2019 study exploring Digitization on Boards revealed that almost half (45%) experience a lack of dynamism and speed. Structures are fragmented or..Read more

Covid 19 - Restarting the Engines in the Heart of Europe

As business emerges from a punishing lockdown, how can the engines be re-started, especially when there is no clear operating manual? The lockdown/re-start dynamic will present a considerable challenge for Belgium, the country in the heart of Europe..Read more

When Wisdom is Put to the Test

Leaders worldwide currently face career-defining struggles to invoke wise decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the logistics of medical and food supply chains, to the subtleties of mass communication in a time of crisis, now more than..Read more

A New Model For Digital Competencies | STRATEGY

To say that many non-tech organizations are struggling with digitization is probably an understatement. Implementing digitization at the right time with the right results is a huge task. It demands exceptional leaders, bridgebuilders fluent not just..Read more

The Short Term Is the New Long Term

The world of disruption we’re living in means CEOs need to engage in ‘live planning’, allowing their company to adapt to change rather than fading away, Federico Cúneo, Chairman of Amrop, tells Semana Económica. Read more

Joining a Storm-hit Crew - Tips for Managing the Executive's Onboarding

Surprising though it may seem at the current time, senior executives are continuing to accept job offers, and are getting to sit in their new chairs for the first time. This said, they’re more likely to be occupying their old chairs at home,..Read more

Self Isolation - Letting the Light into the Room

Are you or your staff in isolation? As the coronavirus escalates, let’s take a look at what being grounded might be doing to your mood, and how to lighten the mental load.Read more

Remotely Possible - Top 10 Tips for Video Interviews

As the first country to be hit by Covid-19, and having experienced an intensive lockdown, China has taken the lead in finding ways to keep key activities running. This extends to Executive Search, interviewing and hiring. How can we push forward with..Read more

Covid-19: 10 steps to managing uncertainty

At Amrop, we believe that every problem contains a hidden opportunity. In times of difficulty, the way you treat your employees, clients, investors, business partners and suppliers is critical. It will be reflected in their loyalty and the quality of..Read more

Pharma India 2030: Trends and Talent

India’s pharmaceutical industry is at a crossroads. Over the last few years, growth rate in Rupee terms has decelerated to mid-single digits. The rate of introduction of new products has also slowed. If volume growth is also slowing slightly, it..Read more

Wise Leadership & AI: Making Friends with the Machines

Only 28% of digital executives recently surveyed by Amrop agree their boards fully understand the meaning and scope of digital — let alone AI. Yet digital leaders know that the relationships between humans and AI have vast potential. Getting it..Read more

Digitization on Boards III: The View From the Frontlines

As digitization is reshaping business in the most fundamental ways, there are major gaps between knowing and doing. Especially in non-tech organizations, digital representation at board level has remained low over the past few years. And in the..Read more

Wise Leadership & AI: Behind the Scenes of the Machines

Neural networks, inspired by our brain’s architecture, are scoring spectacular successes in gaming and pattern recognition. If you’re an iPhone X or advanced Android user, you’ll already find it pretty normal that the device can actually..Read more

The Case for Sustainable Board Evaluation

Today’s emphasis on wise (ethical and sustainable) business practice raises questions surrounding the current approach to board evaluation. To what extent is it supporting ‘sustainable Board governance’? Read more

Understand the Tech and Partner Up: How Digital Helped a Legacy Multinational Become a Modern Employer

Today’s top talent leaders are facing unprecedented pressure to digitize fast or fall behind. While most clearly recognize the case for change, barely a third feel confident about digital HR applications such as analytics and AI (KPMG 2019). What..Read more

New Adventurous Leadership

This report is about mega trends, the future rules of business and building new leadership teams that will create exponential growth in a world of endless business opportunities. Read more

9 Keys For Candidates Working With Executive Search Consultants

In his pursuit of a new role, Patrick had dealt with five executive search firms and his experience had been less than positive. He had secured a meeting with two, and the other three had failed to respond to his emails or return his calls. He had..Read more

Wise Leadership and AI: Can We Trust AI to Tame Complexity?

A runaway streetcar is moving towards five people lying on the track. You can choose to re-direct it to a side-track, killing one person who is lying on the side-track, and saving the five, or do nothing. What happens when a self-driving car, meeting..Read more

Boardroom Talent: How Can Executive Search Do Better?

Executive search consultants are extremely discreet; their clients and candidates need them to be. For Amrop’s Eelco van Eijck, one undesirable consequence is that clients lack a clear view of his profession. And that the sector feels insufficient..Read more

Lifelong Learning: Executive Hazards Ahead - Keep your Dissonance

A venerable multinational is forced to search in unusual places to reverse a creeping decline, and emerges stronger than ever. After a series of painful experiences, a senior executive questions his assumptions and unearths invaluable lessons. His..Read more

I Am My Biggest Project: New Horizons For Executives - Chapter 4

A career is just one part of life, one of its many roles. And we know that life is rarely a freeway without bends, bumps, or obstacles - it’s a winding and complicated road. The important thing is the resilience that gives us the courage to fight..Read more

Welcome to the Flight Deck - The Human Dimension of Globalizing Mid-Caps

This report is your personal invitation to enter the Flight Deck of today’s globalizing mid-caps. To hear what C-suite leaders are confidentially revealing - in their own words.Read more

Amrop Confirmed As Executive Search Leader in Romania

Amrop has been confirmed as a top executive search player in Romania by reported financial results. The firm features in the latest annual edition of Major Companies in Romania (Professional Services, Executive Search), published by doingbusiness.ro.Read more

Energy Transition: Strategies and Insights From the C-Suite

The scale of the energy transition is unparalleled and will affect all sectors, some dramatically. Ever more companies are seeing the opportunities: innovation and efficiency have helped put the green energy business case on the map. Yet these cannot..Read more

I Am My Biggest Project: New Horizons For Executives - Chapter 3

When we reach the summit of our career, we feel a sense of completeness and accomplishment. It dawns on us that we’ve finally achieved everything we aspired to. The air suddenly and magically feels oxygenated, clearer. It’s as if we have become..Read more

Wise Leadership and AI: New Intelligence, New Leadership

Intelligent behavior has long been considered a uniquely human attribute. But as computer science and IT networks progress exponentially, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly standing out as the transformational technology of our age. From..Read more

Digital Leadership in Wealth Management

As a rule, management positions at larger asset managers and private banks are only reached by people who have a practical track record, or training, in digitization.Read more

I Am My Biggest Project: New Horizons For Executives - Chapter 2

Maria da Glória Riberio, Managing Partner of Amrop Portugal, has spent two decades interviewing and learning from business leaders. In this 2nd article based on her well-received book, Maria translates some core principles of strategic marketing..Read more

I Am My Biggest Project: New Horizons For Executives - Chapter 1

If ‘I am my biggest project’, and other people are affected by its outcomes, I’d do well to know myself. But building this relationship is a lifelong exercise. It takes sincerity, authenticity and self-regulation.Read more

Personal Governance 8 - Principle 7: Reputation

Managers with good Personal Governance carefully cultivate their personal reputation, and by association, the reputation of their organization. Doing so has never been more critical. Read more

Case Study: New Supervisory Board in the Fast-Changing Postal Sector

In 2017 the government of Ukraine identified a set of legal reforms to be implemented in the country’s postal industry, reflecting the latest sector developments and ensuring compliance with the recently-signed Ukraine–EU Memorandum of..Read more

Joining Forces: What happens when the CEO and CHRO work hand-in-hand?

For a CEO, it is ever more critical to understand and build on the different perspectives that impact success: customers, competitors, partners, employees. As the pace of change quickens, one needs to act on this 'diversity of thought', moving..Read more

The Age of No Age: It’s all in the eye of the beholder

When it comes to senior talent management and board composition, why do we think of ‘old’ age the way we do? Fredy Hausammann, Managing Partner of Amrop Switzerland, argues that it’s time to ring the changes in a maturing world.Read more

Cash or Continuity? When the investors come knocking

When eager suitors enter the arena, what should the rules of the game be? Short-term profit maximization for shareholders, or longer-term value optimization for stakeholders? When your company is offered a high stock price or an otherwise-tempting..Read more

Are Boards Ready For Digital Disruption? Digitization on Boards 2nd Edition

The pressures surrounding digital disruption and security are intensifying. And the digitization debate is gathering pace. Yet when it comes to exactly how organizations are addressing digitization, the picture remains fragmented and multiple..Read more

Management Versus Leadership

In times of Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, etc., managers need more than ever before to be adaptable, open to change in leadership culture, and break with old patterns if they are to succeed as leaders.Read more

Best Friends, Toughest Opponents

Companies must learn to cooperate as well as compete if they’re to survive in an increasingly digitized world, says the Managing Partner of Amrop Jenewein, Günther Tengel. And companies are advised to work together selectively, especially in the..Read more

Competence Profiles Versus People

What causes digitization in the consulting market, why new data protection creates parallel worlds, and why Amrop Managing Partner Günther Tengel believes in a human renaissance in the age of the bot.Read more

The New Shape of Work: Why the Only Way Up is No Longer Up

Any credible career should follow an uninterrupted, upward trajectory, or so the assumption goes. Many hiring organizations, executive search firms and leadership candidates still exercise this kind of ‘up or out’ thinking. Yet a growing number..Read more

Personal Governance 7 - Principal 6: Personal Interests and Passions

If your Personal Governance is in good shape, your life won't begin and end at the office. You will be known as someone who cultivates strong interests - passions, even - besides your heavy professional commitments. You may also be a rarity. Read more

Cyber Security: Data Privacy

How Boards Can Safeguard Digital Assets Today For Success TomorrowRead more

The Art of the Real: An Interview with Tony Schwartz

In 1985, Tony Schwartz ghost-wrote The Art of the Deal, the book that sold over a million copies and turned Trump into a household name. That experience was one of the drivers that steered Schwartz away from journalism to build an ‘energy..Read more

Amrop 40th Anniversary: 4 Decades of Leadership

Leaders for What Was, for What’s Now and for What’s Next – as Amrop celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017, find out what Amrop Partners, young entrepreneurs and senior business thinkers have to say about 4 decades of leadership.Read more

Wising Up: Smart Decisions or Sustainable Decisions?

Today’s ethical, ecological and societal challenges call for executives who are not just accomplished and smart, but wise. Smart leaders become wise when they address and resolve the dilemmas of modern business in a holistic way. Hiring..Read more

Return on Character Pays Off

Leadership takes opinions, attitude, integrity. Why many 45+ leaders step out (when they can), and many younger people don’t step up (or want to). Read more

Personal Governance 6 - Principle 5: Personal Development

Good Personal Governance incites lifelong personal development, or éducation permanente. This is a dynamic journey, linked to our personality development, aptitude for reflection, coping strategies, the way we communicate and interact, our ethics -..Read more

Customer Experience 2017: Retail Executives Deliver Their Verdict

Few dispute the competitive value of a great customer experience (CE). And yet, how are retail executives experiencing the organizational journey to excellence? Amrop surveyed a handpicked group of senior retail executives from 25 countries. Read more

From Disruption to Daylight: How leaders are travelling the digital change curve

The journey to digital, from the way you’ve always worked, to the way everyone else is beginning to work, can be viscerally shocking. The digital path leads senior executives through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, to acceptance. Read more

The Challenging Role of Chairs

In many countries, the role of the Chair is evolving. In all organizations, it is vital. Today there’s no shortage of prescriptions. But behind the guidelines, the task is filled with challenges. Amrop's Global Board Practice uncovers nine of..Read more

Talent Advisor: Job Descriptions Will Disappear - A Press Interview

Günther Tengel, Managing Partner of Amrop Jenewein in Austria, discusses traditional job descriptions and the question of whether the system of the working world is toppling, or evolving in a relatively painless way. Read more

The Great Executive Rebrand: How Top Executives Are Rediscovering Their Core

More senior executives than ever are taking the opportunity to ‘rebrand’ themselves. In the past, that meant a visit to a stylist and a new mantra to practice in front of the mirror. Read more

3D Printing: Is Germany in Need of a Re-boot?

Despite Germany’s pioneering role in developing 3D additive production techniques, and their adoption by the country’s larger players, top management in many of the companies who supply those organizations is still concerned about the risks..Read more

Case Study: Independent Directors in Chile

All over the world, the role of independent directors is gaining ground: in terms of not only the letter but the spirit of regulation. Under Chilean corporate governance law, directorships of listed companies must be renewed or replaced every three..Read more

Personal Governance 5 - Principle 4: Pressure and Stress, Coping and Coaching

The CEO of a leading airline is hospitalized following a heart attack. The CEO of a global auto manufacturer collapses on stage after a “period of extensive travel.” And as a Canadian pharmaceuticals major faces criticism from lawmakers and two..Read more

Amrop India Series: What's Next in Education?

Far from playing catch-up with India’s policy framework, India’s education sector is ahead of the game. Galvanized by private players, the rapid increase in demand for high quality education has transformed the education sector into a..Read more

What’s Next in Turkey? A New Leadership Model For a Connected Age

We outline the challenges facing Turkey’s business leaders, through the lens of key indicators and cases, and the eyes of Amrop Partner Yeșim Toduk, whose two books exploring the changing face of business leadership in Turkey have received..Read more

Nominations Committees: A User Guide

It has become the norm for Boards to plough time and resources into remuneration and its spin-offs. The time has now come to deliberately engineer strategic, integrated human capital think tanks in the form of cutting-edge Nominations Committees. Read more

Sequential Thinking is a Must

Talent Management: When it comes to finding tomorrow’s leaders, radical new ways forward will be needed, Amrop’s Günther Tengel advises. The curiosity and motivation of candidates will be decisive. Read more

Personal Governance 4 - Principle 3: Self-Reflection, Self-Assessment, Self-Regulation

In today’s turbulent and pressured environments, managers all too often find themselves in a metaphorical prison. They slavishly replay old thought patterns, trapped by static world views. Read more

The Re-Invention of Office Space: When Strategy Becomes Physical

Corporate leadership has to think in much broader terms today – not just about business strategy and people, but also about how those people engage and interconnect. This includes the physical space they inhabit: the office. The way in which it is..Read more

Personal Governance 3 - Principle 2: Ethical Behavior

Ethics has become a common word in today's business lexicon. But what do ‘ethics’ actually mean for you, as a leader? In Part 3 of our series, we take a journey into the Second Principle of Personal Governance. In this tour of the often-confusing..Read more

Crossing Over: The Role Transition From Consulting to Corporate

As anyone who has heard the joke about the consultant and the shepherd knows, professional services firms and corporate organizations often have a love-hate relationship. Yet they share one need – superlative leadership. How do both sides benefit..Read more

Personal Governance 2: Life Plan and Goals

Just as a well-run organization has a guiding Mission, so do managers with good Personal Governance. This ‘Life Plan’ is an ongoing project, far-reaching and carefully orchestrated. It serves as a common thread, a ‘leitmotiv’, to guide,..Read more

Viewpoint: Why Managers Leave Companies

The demographic curve is putting a squeeze on the talent pool of young leaders, and conditions in companies are contributing to dissatisfaction, says Amrop executive search consultant Günther Tengel.Read more

Nominations Committee: Raising the Bar

As day-to-day listed business announcements reveal unexpected high-profile departures and last-minute recruitment scrambles, how can Nominations Committees take a more robust, strategic and wide-ranging approach to succession planning? Join the..Read more

Personal Governance I: The Cornerstone of Corporate Governance and Leadership

Trust in leadership is an uphill struggle. The business press still carries too many tales of incompetence, negligence or even malpractice. Other reports paint a grim picture of executives whose health, private lives and values are collapsing under..Read more

The Leadership Contract

In this provocative article, Amrop guest writer Vince Molinaro, bestselling author of ‘The Leadership Contract,’ sets out four terms that all leaders must understand before signing up to the role. Next, Amrop Knightsbridge Managing Partner..Read more

Mobile Payments - New Market, New Leaders

The concept of MP is high on the corporate strategic agenda, impacting people’s daily lives. Individuals and organizations able to surf the waves of change are members of a privileged generation. MP is a booming business. Already in 2013, Gartner..Read more

Omni-Channel Retailing Champions

In Canada, a large and venerable mass-merchant faces a serious rethink in order to evolve its Customer Centricity from ‘art’ to ‘science.’ In China, the e-commerce team of a renowned retailer is confused and frustrated by constant changes in..Read more

Mining: Quest for Talent - Shifts, Stakes and Strategies

As the global economy emerged from the 2009 landslide, business re-engineering, mothballing mining plant and equipment, restricting mining to high-grade areas, restructuring and retrenchments were the order of the day to reduce costs and adapt to the..Read more

Leadership and the Brain III: Brain Olympics

In the third article in our series ‘Leadership and the Brain’, Amrop guest writer, neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart, shares some intriguing and effective ways to lift our business brains from bronze, to silver, to gold-medal standard. If, in the..Read more

Leadership and the Brain II: A New Tool for Agility

In this second article in our series 'Leadership and the Brain', Amrop guest writer, neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart, introduces her new tool for Leadership Agility. As the demands upon leaders reach dizzying levels, this science-based, compelling and..Read more

Low Cost, High Stakes: Motivational Strategies for Hiring and Onboarding

The war for leadership talent, combined with pressure on executive compensation packages, is a challenging mix for hiring organizations. Meanwhile, cases of reckless risk-taking driven by dysfunctional motivation have damaged the reputation of many..Read more

The Courage to Change: Enhancing CEO Succession Through Stronger Board Leadership

It has become nearly impossible for boards to deny the importance of effective succession plans for their CEOs. The topic has been surveyed and case-studied to death. All this work has arrived at the same conclusion: succession management is a..Read more

Watching Me, Watching You: The Hidden Stakes of Leadership Assessment Post-M&A

A merger or acquisition is an enduring yet risky 'reboot' strategy for organizations. And the post-M&A phase is pivotal. Identifying and positioning the right leaders is a matter of vital importance, making their assessment a widespread reflex. Yet..Read more

State Capitalism: A Transformational Tale From the Heart of Europe

Poland made its transition to post-communism in 1989. It is the only European economy to have posted consistent growth throughout Europe's recent recessional drought. This tale concerns the transformation of a group of state-owned behemoths in the..Read more

Make or Break - Why Transition Coaching is Critical for Incoming Executives

Whether you are a senior executive facing your first months in a critical role, or a key internal stakeholder in an incoming leader's transition process, Amrop invites you to explore the emotional landscape facing every new entrant, and discover some..Read more

Leadership and the Brain: A User's Guide to Empathy

As cave dwellers, co-operation improved the chances of our survival as a species, so the instinctive tendency for co-operation is deeply embedded in our brains. If this is the case, why is co-operation sometimes so difficult to establish? In this..Read more

The New CHRO: Balancing, Designing, Leading

Simultaneous shifts in environmental, regulatory, sustainability and geopolitical dimensions have transformed management and placed exceptional demands on leaders. If, as a consequence, human and leadership capital are an unprecedented source of..Read more

Board Evaluation: A Shareholder's Guide

Supervisory and Executive Boards must act in the interests of their shareholders. Not exclusively, but sustainably. How can the owners of a company go about evaluating their highest representatives and their achievements? On what criteria should..Read more

Board Seeks New CEO: How to Transform a CV into a Compelling Boardroom Presentation

How can top executives transform a lengthy CV into a compelling boardroom presentation?Read more

From Transaction to Transformation: 16 Trustbuilding Keys for Hiring Companies & Search Firms

For a relationship between a hiring company and an executive search firm to bring sustainable added value, trust is essential to secure the expectation that a promise will be delivered upon. What trust-building attitudes and actions should we..Read more

Be the Catalyst: 8 Ways for Directors to Be a Positive Force for Change

Spurred by shareholder activism, emphasis on shareholder value enhancement and the imperative to be a responsible corporate citizen, the demands on CEO and Board are becoming stringent. However, in many cases, Boardroom practices do not meet today's..Read more