Board Director Recruitment Process

…building a high performing Board team

Board development focused on the right Board composition to meet a company’s future requirements is critical to strategic corporate growth and becomes an enduring source of competitive advantage.  The objective of Levin & Company’s Board Director recruiting process is to identify, attract and evaluate outstanding Board Director candidates who have the right combination of skills and experience to contribute valuable expertise to our clients and assist in enhancing shareholder value.

At Levin & Company, we strive to exceed our clients’ expectations.  Our attention to detail, responsiveness, comprehensive screening process, insightful evaluations, and continued assistance from inception to completion reflect our philosophy of premium service.   During this entire process, we encourage an open, direct, and communicative working culture.  Our seasoned, senior engagement consultants personally handle every aspect of the process through completion with professional excellence in service and results.

We partner with our clients in a relationship built on trust, candor, responsiveness, and integrity and guarantee all Board Director placements.  We have had 100% success in recruiting, for our clients, the best-suited Board Directors who contribute value.  We are recognized as a leader in building high performing Board teams.

In our Board Director recruitment assignments, we adopt a proven systematic process and a consultative approach.  We believe in using a top-down approach, beginning with a macro ideal profile of what is desired and valuable to the company, casting a wide and deep candidate identification net, then using various screens to identify, prioritize, and refine so that the candidate target list becomes very focused and valuable.  This thorough and disciplined process includes the following steps, which can be flexible and adapted to the client’s special requirements:

Board Composition Assessment (Optional)

If the client agrees and time permits, our Board Director recruiting process can begin with a systematic assessment of the current Board composition as it relates to the company’s future goals and challenges.  Our consultants first assess the composition of the current Board and its committees, which includes interviews with key members of the Board and senior management (if requested) to determine current Board Director competencies and experience, the interactive Board dynamics and culture, and the competency/experience gaps which need to be addressed.  Building a world-class Board means looking at the company’s short- and long-term strategy, goals, and challenges, and deciding the following:  What will the Board and company need to accomplish over the next several years and what complement of skills will be required in individual Board Directors for the Board as a whole to succeed in its mission.  This analysis enables us to identify any gaps in the portfolio of skills and experience needed to optimize the Board as a strategic asset to the company and becomes an important longer-term, planning tool for Board evolution.  Based on this assessment, a targeted Board Director profile can then be fully discussed with 100% Board ownership.

Targeted Board Director Profile

We then meet with the client to fully discuss Board composition and its future evolution.  We also probe deeper about the company and its business, the Board’s interactive style and culture, and the qualities desired in the candidate.  In this way, we develop a full understanding of the client’s organization and culture, Board dynamics, and the specific requirements and objectives for the Board Director recruitment engagement.  We want to better understand the type of candidate who will best fit the personality and culture of the company and Board.   This discussion leads to a clearly defined, comprehensive, written specification and profile of the company and an ideal profile for the desired Board Director candidate’s characteristics, competencies, and experience; focusing on the attributes which would be most valuable to the company, especially those insights and new ideas which are unknown to the company and to the current Board.

Research Resources

Once we have established the criteria for candidate selection, we compile and prioritize a unique panel of meticulously screened prospective candidates who most closely match the approved ideal Board Director profile. Our research and network capabilities encompass our own extensive proprietary real-time database, industry specific knowledge, breadth of experience and exceptional standards, well-established network of personal contacts, and our knowledgeable research team who continuously monitors the career and Board activities of senior executives.  Our consultants have vast personal relationships with Board Directors and work collaboratively with our research team.  We also develop a defined list of companies and senior executives which the client considers models of success to better target our recruiting efforts.  The screening process is comprehensive with consideration given to such important criteria as title and position of impact, time constraints, candidate’s interests/passions, personality/fit, perceived conflicts, diversity considerations, etc.  Numerous candidates will be screened with perhaps a dozen candidates surviving this process.  We will then present to the client an initial calibration list of candidates who best match the ideal candidate profile, including candidate bios and resumes.

Candidate Evaluation

Only the senior engagement consultant contacts the candidates to describe the client and the Board opportunity.  This encourages a highly professional dialogue and valuable insight which greatly increases the success of the recruiting effort.  The senior consultant will conduct intensive interviews with the selected candidates focusing on specific competencies, Board experience and knowledge, personality and interactive style, and the level of interest and ability to contribute value as a Board Director.  As a result, we get to know the candidates well.  Our experience and expertise in the techniques of in-depth interviews enables us to objectively assess each candidate to determine “fit” with the client’s precise criteria.   We also develop for the client a candidate competency matrix, based on the ideal profile, for candidate comparison to each other and to the original targeted profile.  The goal is to end up with a short list of 3-5 Board candidates, to be ranked and interviewed by the client.  We present each candidate to the client for preliminary evaluation, arrange interviews, coordinate travel schedules, and follow-up with candidates after each visit or call to determine level of interest.  Communications with the client and the candidates during all phases of this process are maintained in such a manner as to respect both the confidentiality and sensitivity of the recruitment engagement.

References

References for the finalist candidate(s) are investigated thoroughly and presented in writing to the client.  These references are external validations about the candidate and can also shed light on the candidate’s engagement and interactive style to better determine “fit” within the client’s Board dynamics and culture.

Follow-up and Mentorship

Our consultants build long-term relationships with clients and candidates to ensure continuous success.  Once the candidate is appointed to the Board, we remain in close contact with both the client and the candidate to ensure a smooth transition onto the Board and check on performance and fit.  We also can provide a customized mentoring and orientation program and recommend continuing education, as needed, for first-time or new Board Directors.

Corporate Governance Practice
Board Consulting and Corporate Governance Services
Board and Director Assessment Process