Right leaders, right results

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An essential guide to hiring the best leaders for culture and growth

Right leaders, right results

Author:

Claudia Wardle

Executive Search, AMS
Healthcare and Life Sciences Lead

Chapter 1

What makes an effective leader?

Culture fit was the most important factor businesses look for when hiring new leaders, according to a recent poll conducted by the Executive Search team at AMS.

The poll aimed at senior talent professionals and executives identified “culture fit” as the top priority in hiring senior talent. It’s an interesting juxtaposition to the long-held view that organisational needs always win the day when organisations consider how and who to bring into their leadership teams.

There were also notable interesting differences between sector hiring. Respondents from pharma, education and financial services highlighted “culture fit” as a key priority, with “development and potential” being of a more important consideration to the retail, consulting and technology sectors. HR and talent professionals had a focus on “organizational needs” as well as “culture fit”, indicative of a focus on business priorities. By far the least important factor though across all sectors? “Individual reputation”, refreshing in the era of skills-based hiring.

What is “culture fit”?

It is not simply a matter of slotting into a culture like a jigsaw piece; the concept has more nuance and is dual-pronged. On one hand, it involves assimilating into organizational culture in the appropriate way—be this blending in or revolutionizing; on the other, it refers to the leader’s ability to impact and shape wider culture (a key feature of “development and potential”), contributing to evolution and growth.

Is there a “recipe” to a good leader?

Effective leadership encompasses a broad range of traits and skills, but, depending on the organization’s culture and circumstances, these may be found or required in varying amounts. In other words, there is no fixed recipe. The right leader for one business is not the right leader for another. Likewise, the need for a leader right now may look completely different for a business compared to three years ago. Moreover, leaders are nuanced. To reduce an individual to simply a “strategic leader with extensive M&A experience,” for instance, does not capture the full picture. A more refined approach to hiring leadership is needed to ensure a positive culture and ultimately business success.

The Situational Leadership model – and why it matters

Effective leadership isn’t simply about finding the right person for the role; it also depends on leading the team. The Situational Leadership® model addresses varying employee needs by encouraging leaders to adapt their style based on current circumstances and team dynamics. This approach recognizes that effective leadership isn’t “one size fits all” since employees differ in their need for guidance. Situational leaders tailor their approach to each situation, engendering a positive culture through trust, transparency, and openness to feedback. They assess team members’ readiness and ability before choosing the appropriate balance of support and direction. [2] (Fig. 2)

This framework helps to visualize the benefit of different leadership styles for different groups of people and demonstrates the grander mechanisms at work when leaders step into wider company dynamics.

Chapter 2

Hiring the right leaders with AMS

This adaptability and variation in leadership is mirrored in the approach taken by AMS Executive when identifying, selecting and appointing top talent. We employ a 10-step methodology that reflects both our unique position as a strategic, long-term search partner, and our unwavering commitment to not just finding great leaders, but the appropriate leaders for unique cultural and business circumstances.

1.

Determining responsibility

We assemble the best team for each project. For example, the search for a Head of People for a consumer health business may be spearheaded by our lead consultant for healthcare, supported by our Consumer lead and a member of our Research Centre of Excellence specialized in HR searches.

2.

Consultation & briefing

Collaborating closely with the hiring committee to understand our partner organization’s culture, vision and strategic objectives, we capture thorough context to tailor our search accordingly.

We also take DEIB seriously in executive search is crucial because it fosters a wide range of perspectives, drives innovation, and enhances decision-making, ultimately leading to stronger organizational performance and a more inclusive workplace culture.’

3.

Developing a leadership profile

Via our work with key stakeholders, we craft a leadership profile to provide our executive search cornerstone. This may be prescriptive and fixed if the hiring organization’s ideas are more defined, or, if our partner’s vision is still somewhat amorphous, it may be open and subject to evolution.

4.

Mapping & research

AMS Executive conducts extensive research to rigorously analyse the talent landscape to identify leaders best suited to the position in question, as well as high-calibre individuals in our network who may offer thoughts and ideas. Our project team will develop the optimum targeted, yet agile, search strategy.

5.

Candidate approaches

We use a combination of direct approaches, leveraging our networks, industry and leadership databases, social media and telephone and email to engage top-tier candidates. We capture the employer’s brand and vision to “sell” the opportunity.

6.

Interviews & assessment

AMS Executive oversees a multi-stage interview and assessment process that adheres to each search’s unique needs. We are flexible, sometimes conducting only the preliminary interviews and assessments, while for other searches assuming responsibility for behavioural assessments and psychometric tests.

7.

Due diligence

To mitigate risk, AMS Executive performs comprehensive due diligence checks, including reference verification and background assessments.

8.

Offer management

We manager offer negotiations, ensuring a fair and competitive compensation package reflecting both candidate worth and our partner’s budget. We handle all interactions with utmost sensitivity and diplomacy, with clarity and mutual satisfaction front and centre.

9.

Onboarding

We can support the hiring organization with onboarding and integration, collaborating to set initial objectives and expectations, and even facilitating introductions and connections with key stakeholders. At agreed checkpoints, we follow the progress of the new leader and ensure cultural fit and performance evaluation.

10.

What next?

Whatever else our partner may need in the world of talent, be it Leadership Coaching, Employer Branding, or something larger scale like RPO, we facilitate these discussions and introduce our relevant colleagues.

Success stories

Two recent AMS Executive case studies illuminate the effectiveness of our framework and tactics in action.

Case Study 1

Head of Eastern Europe, Global Pharmaceutical company

In a nutshell
AMS worked with an international pharmaceutical client to appoint the head of a newly integrated cluster.

Context & cultural considerations
The Head of Eastern Europe was required to lead a newly integrated regional cluster, focussing on strategic initiatives and market growth.
Success demanded an accomplished General Manager who embodied cultural values of mutual respect and consensus-driven decision-making, who would foster collaboration among diverse teams, prioritize quality and compliance and uphold a patient-centric ethos.

Our approach
We maintained a closely collaborative relationship with the hiring committee, performing an in-depth market analysis that revealed alternative organizational targets better suited to organizational needs than those determined at the briefing. We recommended exploring a broader range of candidates and suggested a reassessment of resource allocation to attract the ideal candidate, informed by our data. Keeping culture fit at the core, we prioritized candidates who demonstrated an integrative leadership style and a commitment to fostering strong relationships.

The result
We appointed a leader with extensive General Management experience, strong financial acumen, and data-driven decision-making skills. His collaborative leadership style and ability to foster cohesive teams aligned seamlessly with the client’s culturally rooted focus on consensus and mutual respect. His integrity and strategic vision will enable the successful integration of the two clusters, driving performance, market share growth and long-term success in alignment with the business’s overarching objectives.

Case Study 2

Group CFO, International Clean Energy company

In a nutshell
We built out our clean energy partner’s executive team, including appointing the Group CFO.

Context & cultural considerations
The founders required a CFO who could lead financial strategy while driving the organizational mission to deliver renewable solutions to low-income households across a specific region of Africa. The role demanded a nuanced understanding of the region’s energy and infrastructure landscape, the ability to oversee investments in innovative technologies and expertise in financial analysis and planning.
Culturally, the leader needed values of community engagement and eagerness to cultivate partnerships enhancing local logistics and supply chain management.

Our approach
Our strategy was to target leaders possessing a deep understanding of the cultural landscape in the relevant African region and strong negotiation skills that would enable them to navigate local complexities. We focused on those exhibiting a passion for nurturing community involvement while simultaneously introducing robust systems that enhanced efficiency.

The result
We appointed a commercially astute CFO with diverse sector experience, including in the relevant region of Africa, whose track record in growth and problem-solving met our client’s need for innovative solutions. The leader’s collaborative style and dedication to understanding local communities ensured that the organization could effectively navigate the complexities of the market while fostering meaningful relationships with stakeholders. This approach not only enhanced operational efficiency but also positioned the client to drive sustainable growth and make a positive impact on those communities they serve.

Why come to AMS?

As outlined at the beginning of this paper, the results of a recent AMS Executive survey underscored the need for culture fit as the foremost factor in appointing a leader. It was furthermore posited that a refined approach must be taken to ascertaining this fit and a leader’s potential to determine the right culture to underpin business success. Elements that must be taken into consideration include business scale, stage, maturity, sector, objectives, financial health as well as market dynamics, crisis preparedness and manifold others.

As the specialized leadership division within the industry-defining talent giant AMS, AMS Executive is uniquely poised to navigate complex landscapes and identify, attract and appoint leaders who will shape cultures that drive organizational excellence.

About the Author

Claudia Wardle is responsible for executive search and leadership solutions in the healthcare & life sciences sector, supporting partners ranging from top 10 pharma to medtech start-ups. She left academia to enter the world of talent and culture and was trained in executive search at a world-renowned firm. She joined AMS in 2022 to spearhead strategies that drive organizational excellence and foster innovative leadership within the sector and more broadly.

About AMS Executive Search

Executive Search at AMS has been delivering executive search and leadership advisory services for over 30 years to 190 clients across diverse industries, including life sciences, banking, and energy.

We deliver around 100 searches annually across 6 continents, leveraging our unparalleled global expertise as part of AMS, world leader in talent solutions. Our deep industry insights combined with specialisms in areas such as digital transformation, ESG and DEIB, allow us to address our partners’ strategic needs while shaping the future of leadership and workplace culture.

Our focus is long-term value rather than one-off placements, with solutions carefully tailored to each client’s unique needs; we appoint leaders who meet immediate requirements and are strategically aligned with long-term vision. By integrating advanced technologies, AI-driven insights and our commitment to diversity, we push the boundaries of traditional executive search, identifying and placing leaders who drive innovation, foster cultural evolution and ensure sustainable business success.


AMS has combined forces with The Josh Bersin Company, to provide a comprehensive overview of emerging trends in Talent Acquisition for 2025.

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Emerging
Trends 2025

for Talent Acquisition

The strategic outlook for leaders looking to drive value in Talent Acquisition

Introduction from our CEO

Talent Acquisition Trend #1

Implementing skills-based approaches to hiring and mobility

TA leaders state a growing priority to move ahead on their journeys to becoming skills-based, but JBC research shows that progress is slow. Only 12% of companies work on a business-aligned skills strategy and only 20% of companies use skills insights for hiring.

Talent Acquisition Trend #2

Redesigning the TA tech stack with AI at the forefront

AI and enhanced tech capabilities are prompting TA to shift its technology approach from “stack” to “ecosystem”. 2025 will bring an opportunity for integration and consolidation of the tech ecosystem not only to mitigate excessive spending but also to reduce complexity.

Talent Acquisition Trend #3

Developing a multifaceted approach to fill talent gaps

A competitive market and talent shortages call for diversified strategies that look beyond external hiring. Some of the recruiting strategies our interviewees are focused on include, refreshing the EVP, prioritizing early careers hiring and building talent pipelines.

Talent Acquisition Trend #4

Upskilling and elevating the TA function for the future

TA leaders recognize the opportunity and importance of elevating TA in 2025. A key element of this is positioning TA as a “strategic partner”. The TA leaders we interviewed cite collaboration, new skills, and a shifting mindset as necessary to advance the function’s role in the business.

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Webinar: Emerging Trends in Talent Acquisition for 2025: Expert Insights from JBC & AMS

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Terry Vanquickenborne, Vice President Research, JBC

and

Janet Mertens, MD of Operations, AMS

as they take an in-depth look at the trends and share actionable insights and case studies from industry leaders.



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Fair Play: Ethical AI in Talent Acquisition

How to Get AI Ready for a Secure and Efficient Recruitment Process

The buzz around the ever-evolving intelligence and pace of AI has helped it become a pervasive force at work and at play. With its boundless intrigue, AI incites both excitement and unease as individuals and industries alike endeavor to make sense of this groundbreaking technology and choose and use it wisely.

A recent AMS poll found that respondents were most eager for expert advice about the risks and benefits of AI in talent acquisition. While AI is reinventing the hiring process, TA leaders must never lose sight of its potential risks — as the saying goes, “with great power comes great responsibility.” In this guide, we will explore the significance and importance of ethical AI, and how best to mitigate the risks in talent acquisition to ensure responsible and compliant deployment.

Your Ethical AI Journey: An Overview

Practical Steps for TA Leaders

Develop a Comprehensive AI Strategy

Identify where AI will have the most impact and ensure it aligns with your organizational goals and values.

Establish Governance and Accountability

Set up risk assessments, conduct regular audits and create clear policies for ethical AI use.

Upskilling and Change Management

Ensure your TA teams are trained not just in using AI tools but in understanding the ethical and responsible frameworks guiding their use.

Partner with Experts

Work with consultants or third parties to evaluate risks and optimize the integration of AI.

Ethical AI in Talent Acquisition: Its Importance

With its dynamic and complex environment, characterized by numerous critical deadlines, talent acquisition is perfectly suited for AI transformation. In fact, following the debut of ChatGPT in late 2022, forward-thinking TA teams are already using generative AI tools to heighten efficiency, lighten recruiters’ workloads and enhance their abilities. Using AI in TA can lead to many important ethical outcomes, including:

Improved Accessibility: AI can enhance accessibility and grammar on printed and digital materials, that can create a better work environment for individuals with dyslexia, vision and hearing impairments, and physical disabilities via voice-controlled systems and adaptive hardware.

Bias Reduction and Increased Diversity: If trained in an ethical manner, AI can minimize bias by focusing on merit rather than irrelevant demographic factors, such as name, race, gender, ethnicity, appearance and age. Instead, hiring managers can focus on a candidate’s skills, expertise and interaction during live or virtual interviews. When AI is designed and deployed with ethical considerations in mind, it can promote diversity, ensuring fair treatment and creating more inclusive hiring processes.

Enhanced Data Safety and Privacy: Safety protocols like encryption, secure data storage and strict access controls help ensure that employee and candidate data are protected from breaches and misuse. Safe AI tools also help organizations comply with regulations and privacy law, minimizing legal risks.

Increased Accountability: Explainability is a requirement to ensure you are using AI compliantly. Understanding how your AI tool influences candidate selection, evaluation, and hiring recommendations means you can articulate the reasoning or logic behind an AI-enabled decision to candidates, colleagues and other stakeholders. It also ensures the TA professionals have insight into how and why decisions were made, so the AI is not operating in a vacuum.

Informed Decision-Making: With proper implementation and monitoring, AI provides actionable, data-driven insights, enabling recruiters to make more informed hiring decisions. By analyzing trends and performance data, it can help refine and optimize talent acquisition strategies over time.

Task Optimization Enabling Human Impact: By automating time-consuming and repetitive tasks like answering candidate questions or scheduling interviews, ethical AI tools can handle a large volume of tasks and free employers to focus on meaningful human interactions. This can create more transparent and authentic hiring processes and experiences.

Ethical and Responsible AI: The Background

AI can evolve talent acquisition, but improper use poses risk to fairness, trust and legal compliance. Ethical and responsible AI are complementary frameworks to ensure fair, safe and effective deployment of AI. Understanding the meaning behind the way we refer to these topics is a good place to start.

So, what’s the difference between Ethical AI and Responsible AI?

Ethical AI:

Focuses on high-level principles like fairness, non-discrimination, and respect for human rights.

Example: Ensuring that AI models do not disadvantage specific groups based on race, gender, or other protected characteristics.

Responsible AI:

Operationalizes ethical principles through governance, accountability, and compliance with regulations.

Example: Regular AI audits to identify and mitigate biases, ensuring models comply with data protection laws.

“Today’s TA leaders need to be certain that they’re operating within the boundaries of both Ethical AI and Responsible AI when using these tools in the recruitment process. For a successful AI deployment, TA leaders need to surround themselves with a team of experts in process design, change management and upskilling to incorporate new technologies. This will help make sure they avoid common pitfalls that could arise with AI tools.”

Luke Kohlrieser, Head of Technology & Analytics Talent Consulting

Responsible AI: The Global Governance Environment

As AI use continues to rapidly expand into the recruitment process and beyond, it is vital to recognize and address the various safety considerations associated with its use. The sweeping EU AI Act is at the forefront of establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for AI. With its categorization of AI applications into a four-tier classification system based on risk level, it is setting a precedent for using AI safely.

Unacceptable Risk

This category includes AI systems that pose a clear threat to safety, rights, or livelihoods. These systems are prohibited, along with those that manipulate human behavior.

Examples include systems that manipulate behavior subliminally, exploit vulnerabilities of individuals, categorize people based on sensitive characteristics.

High Risk

These AI systems significantly affect safety or fundamental human rights and require strict compliance measures.

Examples include AI used in recruitment tools, making decisions on promotions, task allocation and performance monitoring. They must undergo rigorous assessments and ensure transparency and accountability.

Limited Risk

AI applications in this category pose minimal risk. While they still require transparency (e.g., informing users they are interacting with AI), the compliance obligations are lighter.

Examples include chatbots or AI-driven customer service tools.

Minimal or No Risk

This category encompasses AI systems that pose little to no risk to people using these solutions.

These systems can operate without regulatory oversight, such as spam filters or AI for basic data processing tasks.

In the absence of federal regulations, the United States is using the EU AI Act as a reference point. Meanwhile, state-level regulations are emerging, such as the Colorado AI Act, which incorporates several principles from the EU AI Act. Additionally, states like California and Illinois may soon implement regulations similar to New York’s Local Law 144, which governs the use of automated employment decision tools (AEDT). Canada is advancing its own AI legislation through the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA), and a continued collaboration with industry experts and the public to shape effective regulations.

As the global AI regulatory landscape continues to evolve — and more laws are coming — planning is important. If you set the stage now for your ethical AI roadmap, and conduct the right audits, you will have an easier time responding to the changes that come with laws and data protection standards as new elements are introduced.

Here is a brief list of AMS analysis of recent AI laws:

Who Owns the Risk in an AI Anti-Bias Audit?

Recruiters using AI must still obey civil rights laws: Guidance from the EEOC

EEOC Commissioner: Recruiters must avoid AI recruiting tools that intentionally select candidates based upon their protected characteristics

“The regulatory framework for AI is becoming increasingly fragmented as Governments around the world race to keep up with both anticipated and unanticipated impacts of AI use.  For talent professionals, this means they have to keep abreast of a changing environment from both a legal regulation and an ethical AI use perspective. Against this backdrop, the role of talent teams is being elevated as they work closely with their compliance, governance and legal teams to ensure new guidelines and regulatory frameworks are enforced across geographies.” 

Gordon Bull, Chief Legal, Risk and Compliance Officer

Ethical and Responsible AI: Hiring Process Considerations

Using AI to handle daily tasks for you is helpful in HR, but AI can do much more than manage time-consuming tasks. This technology could enhance fairness in the hiring process by eliminating bias and identifying candidates from diverse backgrounds, who may have been overlooked in a traditional hiring process.

By using AI, TA leaders can ensure that every effort was taken to hire the right person with no regard to their race, gender, religious background and other factors. Instead, AI can focus on hiring the right person for the job.

AI in hiring goes beyond the recruitment process itself and can contribute to culture-building and supporting DEIB initiatives and goals. For example, AI can help create structured and consistent questions for all candidates, thereby reducing inconsistencies in the interview process that might introduce bias. A selection of AI tools can analyze language and patterns in job descriptions, candidate outreach and interview questions that identify and remove bias. This helps TAs avoid terms and phrases that may unintentionally thwart candidates from underrepresented groups seeking employment.

One of the ways you can plan to hire safely is by identifying an ethical AI problem that resonates with you and identify what next to explore:

Select an ethical statement that is relevant to your organization:

“We don’t want to replace human judgement with AI.”

You can:

• Ensure you have done the proper strategic planning to understand how your goals line up with ethical AI safeguards
• Learn how AI safely functions in screening and assessment tools
• Plan for data security with regards to AI usage
• Leverage controlled pilot programs to ensure AI adoption at a manageable pace.

“How do we ensure we don’t run into legislative or compliance issues down the line.”

You can:

• Assess your current state of AI usage and discover any areas that are out of balance with upcoming legislation
• Put the right foundations in place to ensure a smooth execution of AI initiatives
• Leverage upskilling to ensure AI Is aligned properly with your business

“We’re looking to leverage AI for maximum impact, even if its new territory.”

You can:

• Look at your end-to-end process for AI usage. Is it organized in a way that will deliver the transformation you are hoping for while maintaining a regulatory framework?
• Have an advanced understanding of data and insights as it relates to AI
• Look at using AI and automation-assisted branding to scale your brand strategies while maintaining a unique tone of voice.

Staying Ahead: Empower Your Workforce with Ethical AI Skills

To fully leverage AI’s potential to streamline processes, improve decision-making, and enhance candidate experiences, organizations must prioritize ethical AI training for their talent acquisition teams. Training staff who use AI is not only a legal obligation under the AI Act but also a strategic necessity. “Without proper upskilling, teams risk falling behind in a rapidly changing landscape where competitors may gain the upper hand by adopting ethical AI more quickly and effectively,” says Nicola Matson, Head of Technology & Analytics Advisory (UKI & EMEA). “Upskilling isn’t just about learning to use new tools—it’s about fostering a mindset that embraces innovation and ethical considerations,” she adds. “Failure to invest in AI upskilling could leave organizations and their employees at a disadvantage, both in terms of productivity and career growth.”

To stay competitive, companies must recognize that AI is not just a tool—it’s a strategic advantage that must be used responsibly. Preparing your team with the knowledge and skills to work alongside ethical AI ensures that they can confidently navigate the future of talent acquisition and remain at the forefront of industry innovation.

Navigating the Ethical AI Landscape: Get Expert Strategic Guidance

As a talent acquisition leader, AMS has the expertise to help organizations on their AI journey. When a TA team implements an AI tool, they are adopting a capability – but deploying it ethically requires strategic guidance from experts who know how to integrate AI into the hiring process responsibly. “There’s plenty of work and governance to get ready,” says Laurie Padua, Managing Director, Talent Consulting at AMS. “Partnering with an organization like AMS can help you to identify risk and embed ethical AI into your processes and people to facilitate change and drive outcomes safely.” This means creating structure and rules around AI with an expert to establish clear guidelines and protocols, ensuring its responsible use and continual optimization.

“TA leaders know hiring and AMS knows about the cutting-edge innovations that can help them find and retain the right talent for the coming decade. When navigating through uncharted waters, you want someone at the helm who has the experience and expertise to ensure a safe journey.”

Laurie Padua, Managing Director, Talent Consulting, AMS

Talent consulting for AI is crucial to your governance framework and ethical strategy because it ensures the responsible and effective integration of AI technologies within your organization. By working with experienced consultants, you can align AI initiatives with ethical guidelines, minimize risks and maintain transparency in decision-making. Talent consultants help identify the right skills and expertise, promote fairness and ensure compliance with regulations, which is vital for building trust, mitigating bias and fostering accountability as AI becomes increasingly embedded in organizational processes. Ultimately, it strengthens your ability to govern AI use responsibly and ethically.

Conclusion

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, the pace of AI innovation is accelerating and its impact on talent acquisition is profound. To remain competitive, organizations must adopt AI swiftly and strategically. But speed without a robust ethical and responsible framework can lead to serious risks—legal, reputational and operational.

At AMS, we specialize in guiding organizations through the complexities of integrating AI into talent acquisition. Whether you’re just beginning to explore AI or looking to optimize its use, we provide comprehensive support at every stage. From initial strategy workshops and risk assessments to implementation, governance and ongoing enhancements, our experts ensure that your AI deployment is not only effective but also ethical and compliant.

Start your journey to using ethical AI with

AMS Talent Consulting.