Clearly the tedious pandemic has not yet gone away, however we are seeing a significant upturn in the Senior Executive recruitment market in several regions and business sectors. Not only is there growing confidence about the markets, but the demand for senior people with experience or proven track record is seeing a return to pre-Covid activity levels.

Q4 is certainly more active than at anytime during the year so far and the views we hear from across our 15,000 strong network of global search consultants indicates Q1 will be a particularly dynamic period.

It may well make sense to put in place the personal planning and early preparation for that increased market activity if you are considering a possible move or new challenge for 2022.

Current Situation Overview

FS and Professional Services

HK : The market is picking up. It’s still early stage and internally focused but it is promising and increasingly Q1 looks potentially highly active.

Western Europe : Opportunities are starting to come on stream.

UK : The type of opportunity which one regularly saw in the normal course but which has been absent since COVID is now firmly back. Examples follow – Quant Roles, general requests for Asset Management Candidates, Financial Markets Candidates and IB Candidates.

With regard to role type, GC roles and Real Estate Investment roles are being introduced to us along with general requests for standard Banking roles e.g. Chief Revenue Officer, where specific mandates are clearly anticipated.

In parallel, opportunities in Insurance, Risk , Compliance, Renewables and Consulting continue to grow.

Active business sectors

We are specifically seeing increasing activity in several business sectors including FinTech, Cyber Security, the NFP space and the broader NFP / Social Impact sector.

Family Office and Pharma sectors have strengthened along with Manufacturing, IT Infrastructure and Private Equity.

The Real Estate space is also seeing a notable pick up in the UK and across major European markets.

The situation is best described by a highly regarded Search Consultant, “If Q4 is anything to go by, we should expect to see the same, if not greater, activity in Q1.”

Focus – Asia and Africa

Increasingly, in Asia and Africa there is a currently a strong preference for candidates already in situe or ideally those originally from these markets. One South Africa based Search Consultant stated,

“It is really tough for expats to get work permits in Africa generally speaking as the respective local government regulations are clamping down on this heavily. It would be ideal to talk to South Africans/African diaspora looking to return to their country of origin, as the work permits are then not an issue.”

Summary

From the extensive market feedback we gain from the InterExec global network carried out over the summer, the general consensus from our contacts was that Q4 should be a very busy time as the market continued to recover.

As we find ourselves in the middle of Q4, it’s clear to see that what people envisaged to be the case has materialised.

The strongest indicator of this is the healthy number of clients who have discussed live roles with Search Consultants, interviewed with the end employer, or been placed.

As we prepare for a highly active Q1 if you are considering searching for your next challenge please do not hesitate to get in touch with the InterExec team.