“Most resources are available to all companies. The great variable is the quality of leadership — it determines why some companies fail and others succeed.”

Sidney Boyden (1900-1993)

Your local partner worldwide.

The Boyden overview

Why Boyden?

Boyden was founded in 1946 by Sidney Boyden, a management consultant who pioneered an organized, professional approach to filling the requirements of company clients for management talent. Today, Boyden following on in this tradition, servicing client needs with talent management services in 40 countries with more than 70 offices worldwide.

Boyden is a longstanding member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (www.aesc.org) and subscribes unreservedly to the Association’s Code of Ethics.

Boyden in China

Through our offices located in Hong Kong and the major cities of Mainland China, Boyden has been helping companies develop and grow businesses in the Greater China region since 1965. Few firms in Asia offer a truly global reach and presence in executive search, together with an extensive range of locally-focused human resources consulting services. Boyden Global Executive Search offers unique benefits to clients in partnership with our sister company Boyden Management Consulting Asia.

With over 40 years experience in Greater China, we challenge the notion that executive search and human resources consulting are incompatible business partners. Through our teams of consultants based in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing we offer the following range of consulting services:

• Senior executive search

• Management assessment

• Interim management

• Human resources consulting

Sidney Boyden (1900-1993)

“Most resources are available to all companies. The great variable is the quality of leadership — it determines why some companies fail and others succeed.”

Sidney Boyden (1900-1993)

Your local partner worldwide.

Executive search

Executive search is a specialized branch of management consulting with the objective to identify and present qualified candidates for specific management positions at senior levels.

A retained executive search firm represents the client organization only and is not in the business of placing candidates without a client mandate.

The governing body for the code of ethics and professional conduct is the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

Why use executive search?

A company may decide to use executive search to maintain confidentiality for competitive or internal considerations.

A company may have only a small, or administration-focused, human resources function, thus requiring outside professional skills and experience.

A company may be setting up an operation in a new or unfamiliar marketplace. It may need the guidance of recruiters with local knowledge to identify the right candidates with appropriate expertise.

Most senior level candidates will not respond to job advertisement or contingency based recruitment agencies.

Our experience shows us the search usually provides the only way to find exactly the right person.

How does it work?

Most executive search assignments follow a similar pattern:

• An experienced Boyden associate meets with the client to discuss details of the position to be filled and the preferred candidate specifications. The Boyden associate submits a proposal to state the objectives and scope of the assignment. Upon acceptance, the Boyden associate works with the client in finalizing the job description, which consists of the position and candidate specifications.

• The Boyden associate then assigns a team of researchers to identify prospective candidates and the associate will interview those most suited to the job. A detailed candidate report will be prepared and presented to the client. Often, other Boyden offices may be called upon to help in the search.

• Clients will shortlist and interview those whom they have selected. Clients may then select one or more finalists for further rounds of interviews.

• Boyden plays an active role in the negotiation and agreement of a final offer for the chosen candidate. As a matter of course, the Boyden associate will check the candidate’s references before confirming the offer.

• The Boyden associate follows up with the client and the candidate at regular intervals after the placement.

Sidney Boyden (1900-1993)

“Most resources are available to all companies. The great variable is the quality of leadership — it determines why some companies fail and others succeed.”

Sidney Boyden (1900-1993)

Your local partner worldwide.

The Boyden advantage

Building long-term and trusting partnerships with our clients is our goal. Our clients receive our committed and dedicated service of the highest level and quality. We pride ourselves in our:

Total solutions

Problems are not always what they seem, and the solutions to them are equally diverse. For example, replacing a key person may not be the most cost effective answer to fill an organizational gap. It may be that a fresh look at the structure and the people within it could provide ways to achieve the same end – but without the cost of recruitment. Our experience enables us to give unbiased professional advice.

Long-term thinking

Boyden is the oldest search firm in China and the first fully licensed wholly foreign-owned executive search firm in Shanghai. We aim to prosper and grow steadily and securely. We measure our goals in decades: we define our strategies in five year spans. We will not permit short-term thinking to override what is best for our clients, in the longer-term. We aim to build a long-term relationship with each client and to be regarded as a valued extension of its human resources function.

Practical corporate experience

Our solutions are based on well-tested methodologies, designed specifically for our Clients’ needs. Furthermore, our people have spent a large part of their career taking up senior corporate positions. This means

that we can empathize with busy executives dealing with real-time problems. We have been there too!

Local knowledge

Most of us come from diverse backgrounds, but we share the common factor of having lived and worked in Asia for decades. Many of our consultants also have multinational experience. Between us we speak many languages, including five of the Chinese dialects.

Right size

Despite our long history and well established international presence, Boyden does not set out to be the largest executive search firm in China in terms of revenue or the breadth of our clientele. Intentionally, we only serve a small number of selected clients within each industry sector; we believe we have the right size to offer superlative results in conducting successful searches. Our off-limit constraints are minimal.

Sidney Boyden (1900-1993)

“Most resources are available to all companies. The great variable is the quality of leadership — it determines why some companies fail and others succeed.”

Sidney Boyden (1900-1993)

Your local partner worldwide.

The Boyden commitment

• All information concerning the client’s business and the candidates’ details are completely confidential

• All candidates will be presented with their knowledge and approval

• Candidates will be kept informed of their status throughout the search

• A candidate will never be presented to more than one client at the same time

• No person in a client company will be approached to become a candidate for at least two years after the completion of a search assignment

• A client will never be identified to a source, or candidate without authorization

• A search will not be revealed to other parts of the client organization unless authorized

• If asked to assist in compensation negotiations, Boyden will primarily represent the client but will always seek fair treatment for the candidate

Sidney Boyden (1900-1993)