More and more of Viavanta’s mandates involve international searches. Why is that?
For many internationally active Swiss companies, value creation is increasingly shifting to new markets. Growth, new production sites or strategic partnerships often emerge far from headquarters. As a result, key leadership roles are deliberately located where the market and customers are. Filling such positions becomes a strategic decision – and comes with specific challenges.
What makes these international appointments particularly demanding?
These leaders directly shape how successfully a company builds or transforms a market on the ground. Those responsible – typically the board of directors and executive management – are making a decision with significant impact, often in a market they do not know from their own experience.
Especially in new or distant markets, the importance of local conditions is often underestimated: talent pools, cultural expectations of leadership, regulatory frameworks, and even very practical aspects of everyday life on the ground.
A leadership profile that works extremely well in a European context will not automatically succeed in an African, Asian or South American market. As a result, the risks of mis-hires are particularly high – strategically, operationally and financially.
How can Viavanta, as a Swiss executive search firm, help minimise these risks?
When a key role needs to be filled internationally, a search conducted purely from a distance is not sufficient. What is required are local perspectives and a strong network in the respective market.
Through our network at Kestria, we collaborate with experienced partners in more than 40 countries. These colleagues know their markets, their industries and the relevant leadership personalities very well. This allows our clients to gain a realistic view of the local talent market very quickly – including availability, compensation structures, cultural expectations and potential candidates.
Can you share an example from recent projects?
In recent weeks, for example, we were asked to support the establishment of a call centre in Namibia by filling the General Manager position, together with our partner firm in South Africa. At the same time, we are supporting a Swiss company in expanding its market presence in China, working closely with our partner Monicca on the ground.
Another example is a mandate in a very remote and demanding environment, where we successfully filled an international leadership role. In such situations, the focus is not only on professional qualifications. What matters most is whether a personality can sustainably succeed in that specific environment.
In your view, what is the most important success factor in international executive searches?
Local know-how and precision – but above all the right fit between the individual, the market and the company context. International mis-hires are particularly costly. They not only consume time and money, but often also strategic momentum in a market. Conversely, successful appointments can create significant opportunities for a company.
How do you approach international mandates?
In short: we manage international searches centrally from Viavanta in Zurich while working very closely with our Kestria partners on the ground. This combination of global perspective and local market insight ensures that our clients appoint leaders who can truly operate effectively and create impact in their respective markets.
A concrete example is illustrated in our case study on a successfully filled leadership position in Papua New Guinea.
Thank you for this conversation, Thomas.