Tostmann – The Executive Finder supports companies in German-speaking countries in selecting and recruiting individuals for top management positions, as well as in orchestrated succession planning and for supervisory and advisory boards. Growth, change, and succession planning are becoming increasingly important in transformation programs.

Die Besetzung von Aufsichtsräten wird bedeutsamer und von den Aufsichtsbehörden kritisch beobachtet. Aufsichtsräte entwickeln sich von reinen Kontrollinstanzen zu strategischen Sparringspartnern. Im Vordergrund steht die wachsende Bedeutung strategiefähiger Gremien und damit der Bedarf an Aufsichtsrätinnen und Aufsichtsräten mit eigener Transformations-, Strategie- und IT- Kompetenz.

Guiding principles

Besetzungen auf Führungsebene, in der Geschäftsleitung sowie im Aufsichtsrat  zählen zu den weitreichendsten Personalentscheidungen eines Unternehmens. Dementsprechend hoch sind die Anforderungen an eine sorgfältige Analyse des direkten Umfelds, ein tiefes Verständnis der zu besetzenden Rolle, fundierte Marktkenntnisse sowie professionelle Urteilskraft bei der Auswahl.

The central question is always what qualifications a personality should possess in order to be effective in a specific environment and to create sustainable added value – professionally, strategically and culturally.

• C-level functions (e.g. CEO, CFO, CRO, COO, CHRO, CIO/CTO) in banks, financial service providers and finance-related companies
• Management positions and managing director roles in regulated entities and investment structures
• Management positions in overall bank management and in key cross-functional areas (e.g. compliance, audit)
• Leadership roles with an increasing focus on advanced digitalization in a broader sense (processes, products, new business models, API-enabled systems/service platforms, digital communication, AI, digital ecosystems)
• Functions in the areas of data management, data analytics, AI and cyber security

Specifically, this means:

• Not every ideal candidate is a good fit for every company.
• Competence can only be partially attributed to the individual – this is often underestimated.
• Competence within an organization is largely a question of the fit between an individual and the organizational system.
• Therefore, competencies are not only attributed to the individual, but are always considered in conjunction with the system in which they are to operate.
• People are more or less successful in different systems and under different conditions; this depends not only on their own skills, but also strongly on their interaction with their environment.

The goal is to find the best possible fit between the individual and the organizational system – professionally, personally, and with regard to the upcoming challenges.