Financial Services

The financial crisis which has spiraled into a global economic slowdown is unparalleled in modern times. In terms of its breadth, depth and global impact, this crisis can only be compared to the great depression of 1936. The worst affected sector and the trigger, i.e. financial services, has seen household names crumble like a pack of cards. As the sector was not only the most high profile but also highly rewarding, it had always attracted the best talent available. So these were tough times for the people working in financial services, who walked a fine line between managing high potential talent and delivering bad news in individual cases.

Newcomer CEOs have just weeks to lay the foundation for the rest of their term in office, agree experts. Yet despite the effort that goes into finding and recruiting the right candidate, freshly appointed leaders often get little support from supervisory boards during their first 3-months on the job. To help firms and top executives boost their performance during this crucial transition period, Egon Zehnder International conducted a worldwide survey to review "The First Three Months as CEO.” The survey, which focused on the financial services sector, had an international coverage of successful top leaders already in office for two years on average.