Consort Executive Search (Consort ES) has been operating on the Russian market since 1992. The first experience in retained executive was an assignment for a Country Manager of a major world producer of electrical appliances. By now, Consort ES has successfully completed hundreds of searches for CEO, CFO, Sales, Marketing, Operations, HR and Production Directors, top management in the banking sphere and unique specialists — for international and Russian clients alike. The company’s business has been increasing by 45-50% each year since post-crisis 1999

The potential of the Russian market, probably one of the most challenging emerging markets in the world, can hardly be overestimated. Since 2000, when Vladimir Putin«s administration came to power, Russia»s economy has been constantly gaining in stability and predictability. The ambitious goal of doubling GDP by 2010 is being successfully implemented. The present economic climate attracts to the country the growing flow of foreign investment. A major part of the earnings generated from export sales of commodities is reinvested into the domestic economy, too.
This has brought to life considerable activity in private business, including acquisition of formerly state- owned enterprises by Russian and multinational companies. Russian and foreign businesses expand rapidly to the regions. Many Russian entrepreneurs who founded back in the 1990-s successful business empires, look now for top managerial staff to replace them.

A major obstacle on the way of Russia«s domestic business expansion is universal lack of qualified managers, and especially at the top professional level. Under these circumstances, the companies have no choice but to resort to headhunted assistance if they want to staff expediently their teams with key figures.
Hence, the dramatic growth in demand for Executive Search and other HR consulting services. Although today»s volume of this market is modest in comparison with the US or Europe (not exceeding 150 min USD), it grows by 20-25% annually since the devastating national economic crisis in 1998. There exist up to 1000 HR and management consultancies in the country, of which about a dozen practice executive search, and most of them are pretty engaged. The activity of Consort ES is an important part of the collective professional effort to supply Russia’s expanding economy with top managers.

Considering this publication as an introduction to our potential European clients, we would like to outline the specific areas where Consort ES could be the most efficient as a business partner.
Firstly, Consort ES can be helpful in the situations, when an expatriate top manager, after the successful start-up and initial development of a foreign business (including major multinationals) has to be replaced by a local manager with a similar set of competencies. Contrary to the often stereotyped Russians as «clumsy bears», such people do exist, and we know where and how to find most of them.
Secondly, due to the fact that more than 20% of Consort ES business traditionally constitute regional (from Moscow to a region) and interregional searches, we can be instrumental when a foreign business stationed in Moscow or St. Petersburg seeks to expand operations into other parts of Russia.
Thirdly, peculiarities of the Russian business environment require from entrepreneurs special attention to such aspects of their activities as, for example, government relations (GR) and risk assessment. Consort ES is acknowledged for its ability of profound research into any specific professional segment of the market. Search for GR, Risk Assessment and Security Managers are among the specialties of our company, as well as formation of production teams.
Finally, Consort ES is the head company of the well-known consulting brand — CONSORT Consulting Group, a nationally recognised successful
attempt in creating a «vertically organised» provider of quality search and selection services at upper professional levels. Other members of the Group — BLM-Consort, Lehto- Consort and A-Class Recruitment — step in when it is needed to broaden the range of HR services to the clients who initially addressed Consort ES for executive search assignments. They will be happy to perform for the clients of Consort ES data-based recruitment, psychological and professional assessment.