Global Leadership Development

Industry: Pharmaceutical

A Swiss-based multinational pharmaceutical company was transferring the CFO of Mexican operations to a similar, but much more complicated role of CFO for China. Key initial responsibilities of the individual included implementing global compliance and control systems—in line with the company's global standards, in addition to managing China accounting and finance functions. The overall goal of our engagement was to accelerate the CFO's learning curve in regard to how to operate effectively in China; to provide confidential and objective advice and support in the face of major organizational and personal change; and to help the executive achieve performance goals on, or ahead of schedule.

Our approach:

• Seek to understand the executive's perception of his new role and its challenges
• Define performance goals and key success factors in the context of rapid transition
• Explore nuances of the multinational's Chinese leadership structure and what this meant to the incoming CFO
• Create awareness of cultural factors that could impact the executive's ability to drive change
• Create an action plan for recognizing and dealing with "cross-cultural" differences
• Discuss options for approaching distinct obstacles and Serve as an objective "sounding board" for new ideas
• Provide support and create accountability through regular communication—in-person and by phone

Results:

• A fast and effective "ramp up" by the client, who was able to effectively make sustainable changes ahead of schedule.
• Our ongoing engagement allowed client to receive feedback on ideas and actions in real time, which allowed for adjustments to communication and leadership style to be made quickly.
• To date, the expatriation has proven so successful that both the executive and his family are comfortable with extending the term of the China assignment.

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