Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia
The picture in Japan

Regional sponsor

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

Preface
Aligned for success? Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia is an Economist
Corporate Network (ECN) report. It is based on a survey of regional business heads and country CEOs in
Asia who are part of the ECN. The report was sponsored on a regional basis by Hays and Telstra, and inSouth-east Asia by SilkRoad. The ECN performed the research and wrote the report independently. The
findings and views expressed in this report are those of the ECN alone and do not necessarily reflect theviews of the sponsors.
The report was written by Andrew Staples, with assistance from Markus Winter and Pamela Qiu.
Justin Wood wrote the section on South-east Asia, and Mary Boyd and Ross O’Brien wrote the section
on Greater China. Gaddi Tam was responsible for design.
We would like to thank all the respondents and focus group participants for their time and input. In
Japan focus group participants included:
Kazuhito Endo

Senior Advisor, Global HR Development, ITOCHU Corp

Ryo Noda

President, Japan, Covidien Japan Inc

Eriko Sakurai

Regional President, Japan/Korea Dow Corning Toray Co. Ltd

Jonathan Sampson

Regional Director, Hays Specialist Recruitment, Japan

Juerg Stoll

Representative Director, Swiss Re International SE, Japan

Cyrille VigneronPresident & Representative Director, LVMH Moët Hennessy, Louis Vuitton
Japan, LVMH Japan KK

November 2014

© The Economist Corporate Network. All rights reserved. All information in this report is verified to the best of the authors’
and the publisher’s ability. However, the Economist Corporate Network does not accept responsibility for any loss arising fromreliance on it. Neither this publication, nor any part of it, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted inany form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
Economist Corporate Network.

© The Economist Corporate Network 20141

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

Contents2

1. Introduction
Asia’s business leaders share their thoughts on strategy and talent management3

2. Defining talent and talent management
How do CEOs in Asia define “talent” and what do they regard as the most important aspects of“talent management”?

4

3. Developing talent in Asia
How are CEOs, and the companies they run, responding to the talent challenge in Asia?

6

4. CEO involvement with talent management
How involved are CEOs with talent-related issues? How involved should they be?

95. Aligned for success?
To what extent is talent strategy aligned with core business strategy? How involved is the head of HR in
strategy formation?

11

6. The picture in JapanThe Economist Corporate Network in Japan staged a focus group among six CEOs and senior executives
with country or regional responsibilities to discuss how the findings of the regional survey relate to theJapanese context.

12

7.

15

Appendix
Data on respondents to the survey© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

1. Introduction
Asia’s business leaders share their thoughts on strategy andtalent management in Asia
A combination of rapid economic growth, changing business imperatives and shifting demographic
trends has resulted in severe competition for managerial talent in many Asian economies. With foreign
firms in the region ramping-up their investments in pursuit of growth, and local firms increasingly
going global themselves, securing and developing the right people with the right capabilities, skills
and mindset is a key challenge for business leaders. The battle is especially intense for local talent, as
global firms try to localise their workforces in the region.
Rather than relying on the highly competitive external talent market, many firms believe thatdeveloping leaders within their organisations is the best way to meet their talent needs. However, in a2013 survey of HR executives in Asia, only 11% of respondents indicated that they were succeeding inthis goal.1
So how high is this issue of developing talent on the crowded agenda of regional CEOs, and towhat extent is talent management aligned with their business strategies? How are firms attracting,developing and retaining future leaders and successors in the region? What role is the CEO playing inthis process?
To examine these questions, the Economist Corporate Network conducted a survey of its 530 clients
across Asia Pacific. A total of 133 executives completed the survey between July and September 2014.
Focus group meetings were then held in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo during October todiscuss the findings further.

“Fast track: Accelerating theleadership development ofhigh potentials in Asia”, The
Conference Board, 20131

© The Economist Corporate Network 20143

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

2. Defining talent and talent management
How do CEOs in Asia define “talent” and what do they regard as
the most important aspects of “talent management”?
CEOs regularly claim that people are the number one priority at their firms. As organisations become
more complex, globalised and knowledge-based this would seem to be a good maxim to follow. It is
intuitively obvious that if companies put the right people in the right roles today, and build a strong
talent pipeline for the future, then they stand a good chance of achieving their ambitions.
Yet all too often a gap exists between the rhetoric (we are all about the people) and the reality,
exposing a disconnect between the CEO (the source of the strategic vision) and the head of HR (theprovider of the people to deliver on the vision).
So how do CEOs in Asia define “talent” and what do they feel are the most important aspects of “talentmanagement”? Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of CEO respondents to our survey indicated thatthey have a clear understanding of the term “talent”. This is a good starting point. But digging alittle deeper we find that, while just over half define talent as referring to all of the workforce, sizable
minorities are more discriminating. Some 23% of respondents define talent only as knowledge workers
in professional, managerial or leadership roles, while 19% understand talent to refer only to people
with potential for senior/leadership roles. (See chart 1.)
Chart 1: What do you understand the term “talent” to mean?
(% of respondents)

All of the workforce

56.9

Knowledge workers in professional, managerial or leadership roles only

23.3

People with potential for senior/leadership roles only

19.0

People with potential for global roles only

0.9

Going deeper still, our respondents were asked to identify what they considered to be the most
crucial aspects of talent management. Respondents were asked to list their top three priorities. (Seechart 2.)

4

© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

Chart 2: What do you understand the term “talent management” to mean?
(number of respondents)
Most important

Second most importantThird most important

Retaining key people
15

29

18

Attracting the best people
32

12

16

Creating a talent pool or pipeline
18

24

12

Succession planning
7

12

27

Building tomorrow’s workforce
18

3

14

Managing high potentials
11

10

11

Identifying potential
15

8

6

Developing global leaders
9

10

2

Training
1

4

10

Maintaining today’s workforce
3 1

Evaluating performance2

20Interestingly, “training”, “maintaining today’s workforce”, and “evaluating performance” were
given a low priority by the CEOs in the survey. These responses suggest that CEOs understand talentmanagement and the role of HR in strategic rather than functional terms. CEOs also appear to be more
focused on the talent issues of the future, rather than the talent issues of today.
0

Summary points:l CEOs tend to view talent management as a strategic issue rather than in functional termsl “Talent” is understood by different CEOs in different ways

© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

5

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

3. Developing talent in Asia
How are CEOs, and the companies they run, responding to thetalent challenge in Asia?
The economic miracle that has seen Asia’s share of the global economy rise from 19% in 1980 to 31% in2013 has become something of a double-edged sword. While it creates exciting opportunities, it also
intensifies competition for the talent needed to capture these opportunities.
We asked CEOs how their companies are responding to this challenge. How does the depth andsophistication of the regional talent pool impact on the ‘build or buy’ debate? Should companies
source their talent from the external market (ie, buy it) or should they develop it internally (build itthemselves)? And if they seek to build it, are they investing at the right rate and do they have the right
structures in place to identify talent and nurture it?
As a starting point, almost 90% of respondents indicated that they have local autonomy when it
comes to decisions around talent management. This matters, as the Asian talent pool is hugely diverseand companies have to understand the nuances of local realities. What’s more, in spite of the talent
crunch reported in the region, confidence seems to be high among most respondents (71%) that they
are currently investing at the right level to attract and retain the people they need in Asia.
But how is this to be achieved? The build/buy debate continues to underpin talent management in
Asia. Broadly speaking, respondents reported a 70/30 split in favour of developing talent internallyrather than relying on the external market.
Given the strong preference identified in this survey for building senior talent internally, it’s nosurprise to see that CEOs are raising the investment they devote to such activities. Indeed, some 90%of respondents to the survey said they are raising investment in internal talent development. (Seechart 3.) Only 10% say they are not increasing such investment.
Chart 3: Are you increasing or decreasing your investment in internal talent development in Asia?
(% of respondents)

6

Significant increase in investment

29.7

Some increase in investment

58.6

No increase in investment

11.7© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

However, while “building” is preferred to “buying”, not all CEOs believe
it is possible. In our survey, around a third of CEOs expressed concern thatthey lack the capabilities to develop their talent internally. (See chart 4.)

Chart 4: In Asia, can you develop most of the talent neededinternally?
(% of respondents)

The desire for companies to build their talent internally, coupled with thefact that one third of CEOs felt they lacked the resources or capabilities to doso has implications for business schools and external trainers. Clearly, theirservices should be in strong demand, although in many cases this provision
may need to take the form of more tailored solutions than historicallyoffered through, for example, MBA programmes. (See chart 5.)

Strongly agree

17.0

Somewhat agree

48.2

Somewhat disagree 32.1
Strongly disagree

2.7

Chart 5: How do you deliver training and development?
(number of respondents)
Regularly

Sometimes

RarelyNever

Internal trainers/coaches
69

28

12 1

External training providers/consultants
31

54

23 2

Externally run development programs (non-degree)
21

43

34

12

Full-time MBA (for entry level management)
1

16

29

62

Executive MBA (for experienced managers)
3

24

41

40

0
0

Somewhat alarmingly, 65% of respondents report that they do nothave clear metrics in place to measure the benefit gained from training0
programmes.
(See chart 6.) Naturally it can be hard to measure something
0 intangible as “improved knowledge” or “upgraded skills”. However, it
asseems
unlikely that any other aspect of the business would be allowed to run
0
on such a basis. If companies expect to develop the talent needed to achieve0
strategic aims, surely this is an area that warrants closer attention.
0

Chart 6: Do you have the metrics in place to measure thebenefit gained from training programmes?
(% of respondents)

0Strongly agree

6.3

Somewhat agree

27.9

Somewhat disagree 39.6
Strongly disagree

25.2

Don’t know

0.9

As CEOs go about building their talent internally, what areas are they
focusing on? What skills and attributes do they feel are missing among theircurrent management bench? We asked CEOs to identify the top three skills
they feel are missing. The answers were broad, but three attributes stoodout:l Leadership: While the concept of “leadership” is hard to define in precise terms, CEOs clearly
believe that much of the talent at their disposal lacks what it takes to inspire teams and drive thoseteams forward.
l Strategic thinking: CEOs require the next generation of leaders to move beyond functional
expertise and local knowledge, and learn to think about strategy at the global level.
© The Economist Corporate Network 20147

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asial An ability to manage across cultures: CEOs are looking to develop talent capable of taking on
global roles in big complex organisations that span numerous countries.
Another set of questions asked CEOs about their engagement with technology solutions. Chart 7
shows that, to the best of the CEO’s knowledge, their HR departments use technology primarily for
performance management (72%), learning and development (61%), and compensation management(54%). Only a minority (15%) use an integrated solution that addresses all aspects of talentmanagement. Given the strategic importance of talent management to the organisation, CEOs mightwant to ask themselves if the company’s use of technology is appropriate.
Chart 7: How do you use technology to help you manage your talent?
(% of respondents)
Performance management
72.4

Learning and development
61.0

Compensation management
53.8

Recruitment
44.3

Integrated solution that addresses some of the above
42.9

Integrated solution that addresses all of the above
14.6

Summary points:l Fierce competition for talent drives the focus on building internallyl Internal trainers/coaches are the preferred method for delivering learning and trainingl Business schools may need to re-evaluate their offerings and focus more on tailored solutions
l Leadership, strategic thinking and an ability to manage across cultures are the areas requiringmost attention in Asial The potential of talent management software may not have been fully realised

8© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

4. CEO involvement with talent management
How involved are CEOs with talent related issues? How involved
should they be?
Fully 95% of respondents indicated that they are closely involved in talent management which isencouraging. A more important question, however, is the qualitative and quantitative extent of thisinvolvement. To investigate further, we asked our CEOs to indicate the amount of time they spend on
talent-related issues.
As chart 8 shows, a third of CEOs spend less than 10% of their working life on talent managementand development, while another third spend between 10% and 20%. Many of the CEOs felt that theyneeded to devote more time to talent. Indeed, some 43% said they should be giving more time todeveloping talent in their companies. (See chart 9.)
Chart 8: What percentage of their working hours do CEOs spend on talent management?
(% of respondents)
40
35
30

34.2

35.1

25
20

21.6

15
10
5

6.3

0
Less than 10 percent

10 to 20 percent

20 to 30 percent

Chart 9: Do you feel you spend too much time on talentmanagement or too little?
(% of respondents)© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

About right

55.0

Too little

43.2

Too much

1.8

30 to 50 percent

2.7
More that 50 percent

Of course, CEOs have huge demands on theirtime, and managing the firm’s human capitalis only one of many priorities. So how can CEOs
use their time most profitably? One importantidea is to become the leading voice or advocate
for talent issues in the organisation. Being avisible and vocal talent champion is arguably
more impactful than hands-on engagement.
Employees would surely attach more value totalent initiatives if it was known that these werepersonally championed by the company’s leader.
Conversely, without his or her support they9

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

surely would be marginalised and support would be minimal. This message
appears to be well received by our respondents. Fully 75% of CEOs say they
are considered to be the leading voice for talent management in theirorganisations. (See chart 10.)Chart 10: Is the CEO the leading voice for talent in theorganisation?
(% of respondents)

Strongly agree

29.7

Somewhat agree

45.0

Disagree

25.2

Aside from visible leadership and advocacy, how closely are CEOs involvedin the different stages of talent management? Talent management can bethought of as having four broad areas:l Planning (which may include thinking about the current and futureneeds of the workforce and organisational design);
l Attracting (which may include input on the benefits package, theselection process and onboarding);l Developing (which may include involvement with learning and developing programmes, succession
planning and leadership development);l Retention (which may include involvement with mapping people with organisational goals,
performance management, and career management).
Of these four broad areas of focus, CEOs are most deeply involved with planning activities, and least
involved with talent development. (See chart 11.) Undoubtedly, planning activities are most closely
associated with strategy, so it is no surprise that CEOs are heavily involved in this role. However, giventhat CEOs have much to offer in terms of sharing their experiences, mentoring future leaders, andnurturing key skills, their lower involvement in the development side of talent management is perhaps
an oversight.
Chart 11: How involved is the CEO in talent management?
(% of respondents)

Closely involved

Somewhat involved

85

15

Planning
Retaining
63

37

Attracting
56

44

Developing
49

51

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

10

0

© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

5. Aligned for success?
To what extent is talent strategy aligned with core businessstrategy? How involved is the head of HR in strategy
formation?
According to a recent Economist Intelligence Unit survey, many CEOs question whether HR heads havea commercial understanding of the wider business that goes beyond functional ability.2 The survey
went on to report that, although only 55% of CEO respondents viewed their head of HR as a key player
in the strategic planning of the organisation, 70% want them to be so. Does this suggest that talentmanagement continues to be regarded as a function of HR rather than a strategic imperative?
The survey mentioned above was conducted at a global level. When
we asked our Asia-based CEOs about the involvement of HR in strategy
development, the results were much more positive. Indeed, 82% of CEOs
said that their head of HR was deeply engaged in strategy formation. (Seechart 12.) Why might HR leaders in Asia be more involved in strategy?
Perhaps because of the character of Asia’s economies. Given the shortagesof staff, and especially leaders, any plans for the future must necessarily
consider the implications for talent. Conversely, more developed markets
in places such as Europe and the US are likely to be less talent-constrained,
and so human capital considerations may not have quite such an important
bearing on future strategy.
In a similar vein, CEOs overwhelmingly report that their HR strategy isaligned with their business strategy in Asia. (See chart 13.) Seeking to
explore this in more depth, our survey sought to identify whether firms areproactive or reactive in terms of talent management strategy and businessstrategy. In the proactive organisation, the HR head has a seat at thestrategic table and is actively engaged in strategy formation. The reactive
organisation, on the other hand, is one where talent management remains
a function of HR, fully subservient to corporate and business-level strategy.
Asked whether the HR head is actively engaged in strategy formation, 81%
of CEOs indicated that they were, suggesting that their organisations in Asia
have adopted a proactive approach to talent management.

Chart 12: Is the HR head actively engaged in strategy
formation?
(% of respondents)

Strongly agree

48.6

Somewhat agree

32.7

Somewhat disagree 14.0
Strongly disagree

4.7

Chart 13: Is your talent management strategy informed by andaligned with your core business strategy?
(% of respondents)

Strongly agree

40.7

Somewhat agree

49.1

Somewhat disagree 10.2

“CEO Perspectives: How HR
can take on a bigger role indriving growth”, The Economist
Intelligence Unit, 20122

© The Economist Corporate Network 201411

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

6. The picture in JapanThe Economist Corporate Network in Japan staged a focus group
among six CEOs and senior executives with country or regional
responsibilities to discuss how the findings of the regional
survey relate to the Japanese context.
Key findingsl Foreign affiliated firms face increasing competition for global talent from Japanese firms that are“going global”
l Japan-based CEOs are more “hands-on” with talent management than regional peers
l Identify talent early on – and foster a global mindset
l Identify need to shift perceptions of the HR function to strategic partner

Going global
It was not too long ago that foreign affiliated firms were shunned by graduates—or more likely their
university fee paying parents—in favour of a safe and steady career at one of Japan’s corporate titans
or in the civil service. However, as Japan integrated more closely with the global economy, and someof the shine came off traditional employers and their employment practices, the option of working
for a foreign multinational became increasingly attractive. This was particularly the case for Japanesewomen who saw in foreign multinationals the promise of better career advancement opportunities, abetter work-life balance, and less of the gender specific roles that continue to hamper corporate Japan.
More recently, the past few years have witnessed record outbound foreign direct investment (FDI)
from Japan which reached $135bn in 2013, with M&A activity accounting for just under $70bn of thistotal. Foreign firms in Japan are thus facing increasing competition from local firms for “global talent”
as they continue to pursue growth opportunities overseas. Disco, a job fair organiser specialising ininternational recruitment in Japan, reported this year that “48% of the 800 mid-size to large Japanesecompanies they surveyed say that they plan to recruit non-Japan college graduates, up from around
20% just a few years back”.3
Additionally, as one CEO noted, unemployment currently stands at just 3.6% and the labour market istight with shortages reported in some sectors, notably construction and services. Taken together, thesefactors explain why CEOs in Japan are far more concerned than regional peers about their current levels
of investment to attract and retain the talent they need. (See chart 14.)

3
Corporate Japan out to recruit
more global talent, Today
Online, August 26, 201412

© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

Chart 14: I am confident that we are investing at the right level to attract and retain the talent we need in Asia.
(% of respondents)

Regional responses

Japan responses

Agree

71.4

Agree

16.7

Disagree

28.6

Disagree

83.3

Part of the concern around this under-investment in human capital may be attributable tocompetition for resources elsewhere in the region, notably China. Although Japan has returned tointernational radar screens over the past two years as a result of Abenomics, the country is often
regarded as something of a “cash cow”, and Japan-based business leaders still face an uphill battle inpersuading head offices in Europe or North America that their operations deserve greater investment
in people, training and development.
Compared to their regional peers, Japan-based CEOs are less confident that they will be able todevelop the people they do recruit. Furthermore, half of Japan-based respondents feel that they are
not able to secure the people they need through the external market, compared to less than a third ofregional respondents. (See chart 15.)
Chart 15: I am confident that in Asia we can develop most of the talent that we need internally.
(% of respondents)

Regional responses

Japan responses

Agree

65.2

Agree

33.3

Disagree

34.8

Disagree

66.7

Preparing for what?
The CEOs at our focus group discussed at some length the need to identify exactly what roles toprepare people for. Although developing global leaders is arguably the ideal, and to some degree
an expectation from head offices, the reality is that many Japanese executives face considerable
hurdles—such as language and cultural barriers—when looking to develop careers in second or third
countries; and much more so than those in the cosmopolitan hubs of Singapore and Hong Kong.
© The Economist Corporate Network 201413

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

Therefore, identifying potential for global roles early on, and implementing the right mix of training
and development (including overseas exposure), is a must.
At the regional level, CEOs report that “leadership”, “strategic thinking” and “managing acrossborders” are the three key attributes that require the most attention. In contrast, Japan-based CEOs
are most concerned about “leadership”, “team development” and “personal development”. One CEOcommented that, in his experience, there is a greater need for personal development given a lack of
exposure to global practices and competition. Again, this may reflect traditional employment practices
that have been slow to change. For instance, the idea that it is an individual’s responsibility to develop
a transferable (rather than company specific) portfolio of skills and experiences is relatively new inJapan. This theme led to a broader discussion on the talent mismatch in Japan and the changing roleof higher education.
Structural reforms have the potential to significantly impact the labour market in Japan. However,
our focus group was not holding its breath that such changes will take place anytime soon. Having said
that, the efforts to keep more women in the workforce and get more women into senior positions iswelcome, as is a better understanding of the strategic value of building diversity in the workforce. On
these issues, the CEOs in our focus group expressed confidence they are well ahead of the curve and will
be able to maintain some competitive advantage for the foreseeable future.
Chart 16: My senior management team could all be describedas “talent advocates”.

Leading from the front?

(% of respondents)

Turning to the question of how talent management is understood andcommunicated within the organisation, all Japan-based respondents agreed
that they are closely involved in talent management, which is slightly
higher than the regional score. More Japan-based business leaders also
identify themselves as the “leading voice” for talent management thantheir regional peers, and half of them report allocating up to 20% of theirworking week to talent issues which is higher than the 35% at the regional
level. This could well be because of the country-specific challenges noted
above. Indeed, one CEO said that he has to be more involved in Japan thanin previous roles elsewhere, although this is also in part due to a desire tounderstand local working practices more clearly.

Regional responses
Strongly agree

23.4

Somewhat agree

49.6

Somewhat disagree 22.5
Strongly disagree

4.5

Strongly agree

33.3

Somewhat agree

16.7

Japan responses

Somewhat disagree 33.3
Strongly disagree

14

16.7

At the same time, CEOs in Japan are less likely to describe their senior
management teams as “talent advocates”—perhaps because 50% of
respondents report that their leadership teams have not received adequate
training on talent strategy, management and development, compared toaround just a third of regional respondents. As one focus group participantsuggested, this may reflect the legacy of more traditional understandingsof “personal management” as opposed to “strategic human resource
management” found among some senior local employees.

© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

Aligned for success?
As reported above (see page 11), nearly 90% of regional respondents indicated that their talentmanagement strategy is informed by and aligned with their core business strategy. However, businessleaders in Japan seem less sanguine on this issue. (See chart 17.) Why is this? As participants in our
focus group suggested, this could reflect the positioning of the HR department in Japan, whereby it isunderstood as less of a strategic partner and more of a functional operator. This, of course, goes to theheart of the matter and highlights the challenge that Japan-based business leaders have in fostering amore strategic approach to HR and adopting global best practices. This in turn underscores the need todevelop a global mindset throughout the organisation.
Chart 17: Our talent management strategy is informed by and aligned with our core business strategy.
(% of respondents)

Regional responses© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

Japan responses

Agree

89.7

Agree

60

Disagree

10.3

Disagree

40

15

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

Appendix
Participant data
Survey respondents by sector(% of respondents)

Industrials

19.8

Financials

16.2

Information Technology

12.6

Health Care

9.9

Consumer Discretionary

9.9

Materials

7.2

Telecommunication Services

4.5

Energy3.6

Consumer Staples

2.7

Others

13.5

Survey respondents by location of global headquarters(% of respondents)

Europe43.8

North America

25.8

Asia

21.1

Australasia

8.6

Middle East/Africa

0.8

Survey respondents by company role(% of respondents)

16

Global CEO/President

16.5

Regional CEO/President

44.1

Country CEO/President

39.4© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

Aligned for success?
Strategy, talent management and the role of the CEO in Asia

Survey respondents by years of experience in an executive C-suite role(% of respondents)
Up to one year

© The Economist Corporate Network 2014

0.8

One to three years

6.3

Three years to five years

25.2

Five years or more

67.7

17

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About Economist Corporate Network Asia
Economist Corporate Network (ECN) is The Economist Group’s advisory, briefing andnetworking service for Asia-based senior executives seeking insight into economic andbusiness trends in key growth markets. Through a tailored blend of interactive meetings,
high-calibre research, and private client briefings, ECN Asia delivers country-bycountry, regional, global and industry-focused analysis.

Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo
For enquiries, please contact us at ecn_asia@economist.com
Or follow us on Twitter @ecn_asia