Rebecca Wilson is Managing Director of 20/20 Foresight Executive Search where she heads up the New York office and its team of recruiters. She brings more than 25 years of operational, marketing, and strategic consulting experience to her executive search practice which is focused on real estate, private equity, and financial services.
As part of her practice, Rebecca has represented many international firms seeking to retain senior leaders for their new U.S. based operations. This work has given her a unique, in-depth understanding of what drives successful outcomes for these clients and new hires.
“Placing US hires at global firms based overseas adds an additional layer to the search process,” commented Rebecca. “The candidates of course, must be exceptionally qualified, as all our candidate are, but they also need to possess several qualities that will enable them to succeed at working for a firm where many or most of the leaders are located outside the US.”
According to Rebecca, there are five candidate characteristics she looks for when placing U.S. based hires with firms located overseas:
- Ability to straddle multiple cultures and appreciate cultural nuances: For any search, finding a candidate who is a cultural fit is key. But for searches involving firms based outside the U.S., this takes on a heightened importance and complexity. The candidate must align with the onsite team in the U.S. as well as managers in the home office country. This requires an individual who truly appreciates the cultural differences and is comfortable working within them.
- International experience is a definite plus: Those who have lived, worked, and studied overseas tend to be more comfortable and competent in intercultural interactions.
- Experience working across time zones: When working for a firm with leaders around the world, you must expect meetings at some uncomfortable hours. A candidate who has successfully managed this in the past will be at a significant advantage.
- Ability to travel overseas and an interest in doing so: Working for a firm based overseas means you will likely need to travel, possibly on a frequent basis. Is the candidate able to do this? Even more important, are they interested and excited at the opportunity to travel abroad?
- Ability to work independently: In some cases, the U.S. based team is small and/or dispersed and this requires a candidate with a significant degree of self-reliance. Rebecca noted, “I recently completed search for a Controller for an EU based Private Equity firm where the individual would be in a hybrid working situation – 3 days a week virtual, and 2 days in a small Boston office. In such a situation, independence was critical.”
Once the ideal candidate is found, the next step is successful onboarding and integration. Rebecca has some important recommendations here as well.
- Visits to the headquarters during the first year are critical: This enables the new hire to meet the management team in person and develop a working relationship. New hires will inevitably learn important elements of communication style and cultural nuances that cannot be easily absorbed through Zoom and telephone calls.
- Outline a specific communications plan: When working across long distances and in different time zones, a defined communication plan is important. Will status meetings and check-ins be conducted via video calls? Phone calls? When, with whom, and how often? These details should all be clearly outlined and calendared.
“Hiring senior leadership is always an important business decision,” Rebecca noted, “and doing so an ocean away can be daunting to many firms. That’s why extensive vetting of candidates is critical. 20/20’s robust evaluation process plus these hiring and onboarding guidelines helps ensure that firms based outside the U.S. get the right candidate with the right mindset.”
More About Rebecca Wilson
The majority of Rebecca’s career has been spent in financial services. Prior to 20/20 Foresight, Rebecca held senior roles with Citibank, HSBC, and Lehman Brothers. Rebecca has a deep understanding of all aspects of operations, sales, marketing, and financial functions and has worked extensively with C-suite executives. She has lived and worked in the US, Europe, Australia, and Canada. Rebecca earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Italian from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Virginia’s Darden School. She studied in Siena, Italy, and is fluent in Italian.