AIMS International Strengthens Presence in Africa

February 15, 2022 – Executive search consortium AIMS International has further strengthened its presence in Africa with the addition of Arnold Ochieng and his team at Workforce Africa. “At AIMS East Africa, we believe that everybody has innate strengths and, in the optimal environment, these can be unlocked to positively impact society,” said Mr. Ochieng. “Finding the right candidate for the right company is what it’s about.”

Workforce Africa is a pan-African brand looking to impact businesses across the continent. AIMS, already working with other teams in South, West and North Africa presented it with the opportunity to venture into other markets. Mr. Ochieng is an independent financial consultant, emphasizing in public relations, corporate affairs and corporate relations. He has over 10 years of experience in the financial sector having worked in various sectors including risk management, human resource consulting and information security consulting organizations within the East Africa region.

Mr. Ochieng, AIMS East Africa managing partner, believes the partnership creates significant value for client companies and candidates: “Human resources is any enterprise’s greatest asset, as well as its greatest risk,” he said. “Having the right talent helps businesses take off and scale sustainably. At AIMS East Africa, we ensure that our clients get the best talent and the right fit, too.”

East African Market

The crux of AIMS International’s mission, said the consortium, is to meet the needs of its clients wherever they are or want to be. The organization notes that this requires a solid presence in developing countries, especially where there is strong economic potential. AIMS International president Bernardo Entschev says that is exactly the case with East Africa.

One of the most populous regions in Africa, its approximately 455 million people live in 18 countries and a couple of overseas departments and dependencies. It’s an economically vibrant region with a high degree of diversification. Kenya, its largest economy, is growing fast. Several other countries in the neighborhood are experiencing annual increases in GDP that outstrip almost anywhere else on earth. These include Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, and South Sudan, the world’s newest sovereign state.

“We believe East Africa will continue to be the fastest growing region on the African continent for some time to come,” said Mr. Entschev. “That’s why it is so strategically important to have a strong partner in the region.”

Glowing Global Organization

With over 80 offices worldwide, AIMS International provides clients with customized, global executive search and talent management services in 50 countries. It has active global practice groups working in the automotive, financial and professional services, FMCG and luxury goods, industrial, IT and telecoms, and life sciences industries, as well as in talent management and board advisory services.

In December, AIMS strengthened its presence in the APAC region with the recent establishment of AIMS Vietnam. Enrico Dalla Rosa and Pierangelo Favero, two of the AIMS Vietnam managing partners, have more than 30 years of experience in the human resources industry, especially executive search, assessment, and coaching. They have been working with numerous multinational enterprises from all over the world and supporting them with practical solutions. Giuseppe Iamele, the other AIMS Vietnam managing partner, and Trung Nguyen and Anh Dao Dang, who are senior consultants at AIMS Vietnam, all have many years of experience within the Vietnamese market, especially in the manufacturing and IT sectors.

AIMS also recently elected Dimitris Kleftakis from AIMS International Hellas as executive vice president EMEA. He took over from Peter Barkhurst, managing partner AIMS International Germany and global VP of AIMS International, who has held the position since 2020. “It is with joy that I congratulate Dimitris on being chosen for his new role as the executive VP EMEA,” said Bernardo Entschev, president AIMS International. “Dimitris has already been making excellent contributions in his current role as the EMEA VP but now in the EVP position he can expand his support to all our partners in Europe enhancing our strategy in the EMEA region and globally.”

Mr. Kleftakis is based in Athens, Greece and comes from the management consulting industry where he held various managerial roles and was engaged in projects in the fields of corporate and project finance, debt restructuring, corporate re-organization and business development. He has worked in several business sectors and gained in-depth knowledge of the business models and the key value drivers in these sectors. Mr. Kleftakis joined AIMS International Hellas in 2016 as a partner. In 2018, he was elected as a member of the AIMS International executive board.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media