The ADVOCATE Greenwich Time
May 4, 2007
Eric Wiberg is Vice President of Directorship Search Group, a firm devoted to executive recruiting. Wiberg, who once sailed from the Galapagos Islands to New Zealand, specializes in the shipping industry.
At work with...
Shipshape recruiting:
Greenwich firm finds qualified executives
By Harold Davis
Special Correspondent, The Advocate / Greenwich Time
Eric Wiberg recruits talent for the shipping industry, but he's not looking for seafaring types with anchor tattoos on their arms.
The vice president of Directorship Search Group in Greenwich specializes in head-hunting senior executives and board members for the many maritime companies in New England and Houston.
"Today's CFOs and CIOs don't have to have shipping credentials, they just need to do a good job," Wiberg said. "If you deal with container ships, why not have someone from UPS or Fedex on your board?"
Wiberg said few recruiters offer shipping executive recruitment, but as more companies go public and others are snapped up by Wall Street investors, he sees a need for high-end recruiting services.
That's particularly true in Stamford and lower Fairfield County, which have a burgeoning shipping cluster that needs talented people, he said.
What are your observations on the shipping climate?
There's a tremendous amount of cash flow in it for the U.S. and Europe. It's been a profitable sector, and there's a lack of high-profile casualties like the Exxon Valdez. Investors are very confident and reaping strong dividends. continued overleaf….
What about the climate for recruiting executives in this industry?
Executive recruiting has grown a lot recently in this area. The shipping industry is known for family business, but there's been exponential growth of public companies, and it's no longer permissible to have your cousins on the board because of things like Sarbanes-Oxley. Because of security, it's better to retain a recruiter than be caught hiring someone for the wrong reason or nepotism.
What is the benefit of using a retained recruiter service?
While using retained recruiters does increase the cost, it lowers risk. If there's an oil spill, the federal and state government will be all over it, and there's a corporate liability. You want to make sure the executive is legit.
Besides candidates locally, where are you seeking talent?
We're flying candidates from all over the world - Europe, Asia and Latin America.
What are some of the challenges?
One of the challenges, to be frank, is convincing these clients of the benefits of retaining third-party recruiters, to look beyond their own Rolodex.
Besides recruiting, do you bring shipping experience?
My first job out of college, I skippered a 68-foot sailing vessel from the Galapagos to New Zealand. I was a captain at age 23. I ran a fleet of tankers in Singapore for three years. I also ran a yacht-delivery business and recruited 70 captains, both men and women. So that gives me some street cred. I really do understand the risks of ship owners - politics, weather and engineering. I am also a licensed captain and a maritime lawyer.
How many clients do you currently search for?
Right now, we have three clients, and for those three we're doing seven searches. We're growing, and each search lasts between one and three months.
What are your future plans?
I would like to say that we want to expand the shipping area. We also like to build the transportation and logistics arm of business. Air, trains and trucks are so integrated.
The company is also changing its name on May 14 to RSR Partners, to emphasize that we do executive and board search.
- At Work With regularly appears in The Advocate and Greenwich Time. Do you know of an interesting job or have one yourself? Tell us about it. Please contact Harold Davis at 964-2277 or harold.davis@scni.com. ã2007 Southern CT Newspapers, Inc.
