Executive Recruitment as an Art Form
In business since 2002, Mack International is a highly specialized boutique firm that helps family offices and enterprises as well as investment management and wealth management firms find key executives. The distinction between Mack International and others in their industry is evident not so much in what they do, but in how they do it.
How does a firm elevate executive placement from a wholesale hit-and-miss endeavor to an art form? Mack International has not only raised the proverbial bar, but created a unique bar altogether. Simply put, their approach is carefully constructed around getting clarity and consensus around a client’s objectives and then finding the perfect match that suits both client and candidate. “The depth of experience, amount of quality time we spend assessing and co-interviewing and ultimately identifying the perfect cultural “fit” is something no one else can claim. That is our value proposition,” says Linda Mack, President and founder. “Our approach paints the bull’s eye so clearly, we cannot miss it.”
To Mack International, bigger is the antithesis of better. Rather than juggling dozens of placements, the entire firm focuses on single assignments which receive its full attention, ensuring consistently superior results.
The firm believes academic credentials, experience, and accomplishments – while important – constitute but a subset of the selection criteria applied. “For family offices or enterprises it is of paramount importance that values and personalities match as well. Our candidates are not dealing with distant shareholders interested solely in the bottomline, but with unique people or families whose considerations may not always be merely financial in nature.”
Ms. Mack boasts a quarter century’s worth of experience in the financial services industry with an emphasis on human resources management and private banking. She obtained a degree in Financing and Accounting from the famed JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management, part of Northwestern University in Chicago. She founded Mack International subsequent to a highly successful career at one of the top retained executive search firms.
While a number of firms specialize in recruiting professional managers of family offices and enterprises, Mack International has carved out a niche at the very top of the business. The firm’s distinction lies in its exceedingly personalized services and in the thoroughness and breadth of its selection procedure: “While the pool of highly skilled family office, investment and financial executives is fairly large, we are not just looking for the best professional, but for one who fits seamlessly with our client’s culture. No matter how skilled the candidate, if he or she cannot stay in sync with what the employer values, relationships tend to sour. Culture trumps skill.”
Ms. Mack explains that the search process starts with gaining a true understanding of clients’ needs, ambitions, and cultural values and philosophy. “Once we have gained these insights, a candidate profile is carefully assembled. A picture emerges which enables us to commence the actual search process. ”
Mack International takes pride in its ability to consistently deliver exceptionally high standards of service. Committed to ensuring a lasting relationship between client and the chosen executive, the company uses a creative, yet disciplined and structured approach capturing the right candidate time-and-again. “From our standpoint in order to get it right the first time, you must invest the time up front around a vision and profile of ideal candidate. We have a dedicated team of consultants considered thought leaders in the industry. Together they bring the benefit of best practices to every client.”
Its proprietary search formulae result in frequent referrals that has seen the company’s business expand. However, corporate growth is not pursued at the expense of excellence: “At Mack International, clients always have our full and undivided attention. We mobilize our collective efforts and expertise to ensure no detail is overlooked and no opportunity is lost. Quality comes first as a matter of course. Our clients wouldn’t have it any other way,” explains Ms. Mack.
Mack International serves the full spectrum of private and family wealth management, from first generation creators to fortunes rooted in history. The firms also helps investment management and wealth management firms find executives who are finely attuned to their specific needs.
Mack International maintains a vast globe spanning network of contacts in the family office, investment management and wealth management spheres. This allows the firm to maintain its definitive edge and keep abreast of the latest trends and developments, such as social impact investing–a hot topic among younger generations. The network also enables Mack International to formulate effective recruitment strategies and provides the firm with the market intelligence critical to sustain its success.
What is the next big thing? According to Linda Mack it is staying true to the essence of what makes Mack International special. “We full fill a very real need. The next big thing has nothing to do with numbers. It has to do with continuing to do it right the first time, every time.”