March Madness
“As Asia continues to grow, there is no shortage of takers for top quality talent. And as companies struggle globally with slowing growth and lack of internal opportunities, the growth paths are slower, less visible. So what should managers be doing to prepare for the disruptive exodus that they may get hit by,” discusses Ms Sonal Agrawal, Managing Partner, Accord Group India.
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Women on board
Driven by the belief that more diverse boards are a better representation of the marketplace, consumers and workforce, regulators worldwide are pushing hard to get more women on corporate boards.
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So long, farewell
While saying goodbye at work can be really hard (or a huge relief), ensure that you conduct yourself professionally and complete all tasks at hand.
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Mind Your Language
This is not about censoring every online move, but about exercising restraint.A private equity client asked us to reference a candidate who had been recommended to run a portfolio company. The candidate’s credentials stacked up reasonably well, as did his references.
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How to handle the headhunter
An insider’s account of how to approach and deal with a recruitment consultant.Igot an e-mail from a close friend, introducing a cousin who had recently been made redundant. I wrote back asking for a résumé to review.
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Sorry seems to be the hardest word...
Sorry seems to be the hardest word...The other day, I ran into someone and we ended up discussing my last column on redeeming oneself after a mess-up—admit,apologize, amend.
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Mopping up the mess
Mopping up the mess.It was a monthly catch-up lunch at the light and airy Café Zoe tucked away in a refurbished mill in the heart of Mumbai, with a friend who is the business head of a professional services firm.
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Surviving the pink slip
Surviving the pink slip.Retrenched senior banker, who was the managing director at a major investment bank, woke up last Monday to find himself named prominently in the pink papers in a story about out-of-job investment bankers.
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Navigating a job change
Navigating a job change.A status alert on the social media profile of a candidate catches my attention. I smile wryly. Ten months ago, a colleague and I had bet a five-star meal on the fact that the individual in question would quit his job within the year.
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It’s not always about the money
It’s not always about the money.On the phone is an old friend, a consumer company professional, based overseas and eager to return to India. After much deliberation, he has accepted an offer from a reputed professional services firm that is eager to hire him in their consulting practice.
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Diversity on Boards in India | Emerging Women Director's Institute
Women Corporate Directors (WCD USA www.wcd.org ), FICCI FLO (All India women’s wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers, www.ficciflo.com) and the US Commercial Service partnered with the International Finance Corporation (www.ifc.org) and Marriott Hotels to run the first session of the Emerging Women Director’s Institute in India, a one-day bootcamp designed at educating and training high-potential women corporate board members on how to secure board seats in India and overseas. Given the growing global push for Diversity on Boards and the proposed amendment to the Companies Act in India, encouraging increased femal representation on corporate boards, the bootcamp attracted a number of qualified senior female professionals.
Apart from Susan Stautberg, co Chair of WCD, speakers at the forum included Ambassador Nancy Powell, the US Ambassador to India, who spoke about her experiences as a diplomat; Kaku Nakhate, Country Head, Bank of America Merril Lynch India and Zarin Daruwala, President Wholesale Banking Group, ICICI Bank covered their experiences on corporate boards, Nancy Calderon, India Board Director KPMG and Sonal Agrawal, Managing Partner, Accord Group India conducted a session advising participants on the roadmap to the board, including bespoke advice on building a personal brand and the board elevator pitch. Margaret Hanson Muse, Deputy Senior Commercial Counsellor, US Embassy New Delhi and Ranjana Agarwal, India Chair for FLO –WCD co-chaired the event.
AESC Event in India
The Association of Executive Search Consultants (www.aesc.org), the international body for retained executive search firms worldwide, hosted an event along with the Bombay Chambers of Commerce & Industry in Mumbai in November. The event was attended by members of the Chamber, and AESC members in Mumbai. Sonal Agrawal, Managing Partner, Accord India was one of the three panelists (the only one from executive search) for the session “Women on Boards in India” moderated by Peter Felix, head of the AESC. The session covered the realities of the current situation concerning the role and numbers of Women on Boards in India, the case for increasing numbers, the roles of various stakeholders, as well as efforts of corporates and search firms to address the issue. The debate was followed by a Q&A session.
Afaqs, India’s largest advertising, media and marketing portal
Afaqs, India’s largest advertising, media and marketing portal held their annual event TV.NXT, India's only event on the business of television in Mumbai in October 2012. It is the biggest platform devoted exclusively to the emerging trends, issues and state of the broadcast industry in India. The event was attended by broadcast leaders, advertisers, investors, senior management professionals n Mumbai. Rekha Koshy, Partner, Accord India was one of the panelists for the session “There's no dearth of talent in the Indian TV industry“, along with CEOs of the leading entertainment networks in the country. The session covered on what is perhaps the most important issue in any industry - the issue of people. The general sense was that while there is no dearth of creative talent in the TV industry, nurturing it and leading this talent is the need of the hour. It emphasized on the need to cross-pollinate across industries as far as sourcing talent is concerned.
Accord & AltoPartners join Oxygen's Diversity on Boards Dinner
Our partners in the UK, Oxygen hosted a discussion over dinner addressing issues around increasing the diversity of boards. Guests included Chairs of significant quoted UK businesses; Non-Executives from overseas listed companies; a member of the Steering Committee of The 30% Club; the Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission and a number of Members of the House of Lords.
“Following an introduction from Oxygen’s Managing Director, Ian Lloyd, the discussion was opened with contributions from from two of our US Partners from DiversifiedSearch - a Top 10 US search firm recognised for its expertise in creating and promoting diversity with client organisations, up to and including Board appointments. Judee Von Seldeneck and Veronica Biggins have the benefit of experience in a market where diversity issues have been at the forefront for many years. Our Managing Partner from India, Sonal Agrawal, spoke on issues facing boards in India.
For a copy of a summary of the dinner please click here.
AltoPartners joins forces with major US search firm - Diversified Search
Through its membership of AltoPartners, the international alliance of independent search firms, Accord is delighted to announce its partnership with Diversified Search - one of the top 10 US search firms. Founded and led by Judith von Seldeneck and headquartered in Philadelphia, the firm has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York and Washington DC. It has ten major practice groups and an impressive track record of success in all the key functional disciplines.
This is an exciting new development for both Accord and the AltoPartners alliance and we can now offer our clients comprehensive international coverage through our network of 44 offices in 28 countries in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.