IMD International Search Group Opens Office in Serbia
September 28, 2022 – Executive search consultants are seeing an increase in hiring mandates from around the world. To meet the demand, they continue to develop new practices, hire new recruiters, and open new locations. Global recruiting consortiums, meanwhile, are taking advantage of a resurgence in certain geographic areas.
Global executive search consortium IMD International Search Group has opened a new office in Belgrade, Serbia. The office will not only cover the Serbian market but also the surrounding countries as well: Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. Created under the initiative of Dejan Aleksic, managing partner of Dr. Heimeier & Partners in Düsseldorf, the office will be managed by two local partners: Ana Santovac and Petra Spasojevic.
“Ana and Petra put a lot of work and great effort into building the new office from scratch,” said Mr. Aleksic. “We are glad to expand our international team with these two experienced, ambitious, and committed consultants with an extensive network.”
Ms. Santovac has 14 years in executive search, search and selection, and management. She has a focus on general and functional management roles within automotive, FMCG, banking, construction and engineering, packaging and others areas.
Ms. Spasojevic has seven years in consulting and search and selection of managers and experts in Serbia and neighboring countries. Her focus is on general and functional management roles within automotive, food and consumer products, construction and building materials, pharmaceutical, mining, IT, among other areas.
Serbian Economy
Serbia has an emerging market economy in the upper-middle income range. According to the International Monetary Fund, the Serbian nominal GDP in 2022 is estimated at $66 billion or $9,561 per capita while the purchasing power parity GDP stood at $153 billion or $22,278 per capita. The Belgrade Stock Exchange is the only stock exchange in the country, with market capitalization of $8.65 billion and BELEX15 as the main index representing the 15 most liquid stocks
Founded in 1972, IMD International Search Group is one of the top 15 global search organizations with more than 40 offices in major markets and business centers throughout the world. Its executive search professionals, many of whom held senior positions in the industry sectors they now serve, conduct hundreds of senior-level searches for clients worldwide each year.
The consortium said: “We are proud to have retained many members for decades now, for instance Dr. Heimeier & Partner (member since 1989), Telkes Consulting (1997), Sirca Executive Search (1998), IMS Talent (2001), Lisberg (2002), Panamera (2003), Schilling Partners (2004), and Executive Network (2005)….This stability allowed us to build trustful relationships, to the benefit of our clients. It also helped attract new members during the last decade, expanding our geographical coverage to Australia and New Zealand (Fisher Leadership), Brazil (Osser & Osser), Chile (SommerGroup), China (GMPTalent International), and the USA (Alder Koten, Onstott Group).”
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
