LEADING AUSTRALIAN EXECUTIVE SEARCH FIRM
ENTERS GLOBAL HIGHER EDUCATION MARKET

1 March 2011

Crown & Marks, Australia’s leading independently owned firm specialising in executive search and leadership development has entered the Higher Education market. The firm recently appointed Alun Parry, one the United Kingdom’s best-known names in Higher Education search.

Joint Managing Director of the firm Allan Marks stated “we are delighted to have Alun on board to bring his global experience to the Australian marketplace. We believe that with our proven success in making executive appointments that help organisations prosper and Alun’s sector knowledge and reputation that this will be a very successful combination.”

Parry’s early career was in the Higher Education sector, having worked for a number of UK universities for over 10 years before successfully applying his knowledge to executive search in the sector. He stated, “this is an exciting time for the Australian HE market and I’m delighted to be joining one of the most trusted executive search partners in the country. I believe our dedicated commitment to the sector and global reach, allied to a fresh and innovative approach, is not only timely but will also allow us to add value to our partners as we support them with their global talent requirements at academic and non-academic level”.

Alun Parry’s background is a follows:
Following his MBA, he was invited to undertake strategic consulting assignments for various universities before being attracted to join one of the United Kingdom's leading executive search and selection companies to develop its Higher Education offering. During five years as a Board Director and HE sector executive search specialist, he developed a recognised profile and brand for leading on Chair, Dean, senior academic, Director and SMT level leadership appointments across the HE sector in the United Kingdom and globally, in doing so conducting international and discipline specific searches for the most suitable and credible global talent.

For further information please contact;

Allan Marks
Joint Managing Director, Crown & Marks
Tel 0410435034
amarks@crownmarks.com

Alun Parry
Associate Partner - Higher Education, Crown & Marks
Tel 0449031549
aparry@crownmarks.com

Demand for experienced executives is growing globally as economic confidence increases and companies gear up for growth after hiring freezes, the latest survey of partners of leading executive search firm, Signium International group has found.

The most sought after executives are those with high levels of speciality skills in growth industries such as infrastructure, construction, engineering, banking and health care.

The Signium survey found that 74 per cent of its partners had experienced higher or much higher demand for executive search services since the GFC, with 86 per cent expecting demand to improve even further in the next six months.  

Joint Managing Director of Australian Signium partner, Crown & Marks Executive Search, Allan Marks, said today: “We are seeing rapid growth in demand for highly selective hiring, reflecting lessons learned in the GFC.”

“Companies are demanding executives with higher quality experience and capability, and are investing additional time in stronger governance procedures to ensure they get the right people. Organisations are also paying more attention to getting the right cultural fit when hiring senior executives,” he said.

“In most of the industries we serve, quality people with specific industry expertise are commanding top quartile levels of remuneration, particularly in the infrastructure and resources sectors.” 

“Good CFOs are much sought after in North America, as well as senior leaders who know how to harness growth, rather than manage restructuring. Additionally, India is seeing a 30 per cent increase in demand for skilled executives after two plateau years.” 

Joint Managing Director, Crown & Marks Executive Search, Stephen Lennard, said companies were seeking to make the right decisions to avoid the extremely costly mistakes of a bad match.

“A senior executive who stays with a company less than a year can cost a company as much as one million dollars in direct costs and up to $10 million in indirect costs through the consequences of disruption to the business. On the other hand, a successful appointment enhances an individual’s career and quickly increases an organisation’s shareholder and stakeholder value,” he said.

“Ninety five per cent of executives we place are still with the same organisation after two years or more, a reflection of our forensic research, determination of cultural fit and ongoing advice and support in crucial areas such as leadership development.”  

Signium International has 43 offices strategically located in 27 countries, serving the major markets of the world in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

For further information please contact:

In November Crown & Marks hosted the Signium International Global Annual Conference in Sydney. We were pleased to welcome our partners and delegates from all over the World for the four-day conference where keynote speakers included Glen Stephens, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Jose Blanco Chair of the Australian Latin American Business Council. The event was a tremendous success.

Q3 2010 Reveals strong Executive Search Activity

Our Industry body the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) recently reported that worldwide “Senior Executive hiring’s are on the increase in the third quarter of 2010”. The yearly trend – from Q3 2009 to Q3 2010 – was strong with both revenues and new search mandates rising across all regions and industry sectors with revenue increasing by 32% and the number of new searches by 18%. The quarterly trend – from Q2 2010 to Q3 2010 – showed revenue increased by 2.4%.  

North America saw the biggest increase with a 26% increase in search activity in Q3 followed by Central and South America (+ 24%), Asia Pacific (+ 14%) and Europe (+ 13%). All industries showed increases but the biggest gains were in Financial Services and Industrials.