Dow Jones Indexes, creator of the Dow Jones industrial average and other investment indexes, asked The Executive Search Group (formerly Infonet) to engage in a search for a Director of Risk Management and Research.
Working closely with Dow Jones’ executive human resources staff, we began information gathering to profile the director-level professional the client needed.
First was a discovery call with The Executive Search Group founder and CEO Tim McIntyre. Dow Jones received summaries on top candidates who were proven, remarkable performers.
Approach
Thorough vetting -- including debriefing after each candidate interview -- led to a discussion about cultural fit. For example, some companies take pride in being methodical and thorough. Others encourage more risk-taking.
"When we search for your company’s next executive or director, it is crucial that the winning candidate can work effectively with peers, those they report to, and those they manage," said McIntyre.
At that point, McIntyre identified several professionals worth interviewing, but they already had great jobs.
"Since the best candidates may not even be looking for new positions, we need to know the value proposition before we approach them" said McIntyre. "We know how their industries and specific companies are doing, and their general prospects for success (given their present career track). We also rely on social networks, our deep professional and personal contacts in industry, as well as our reputation for ethical placement and genuine professional consideration."
Results
We recruited and placed Francis Gupta, who had previously worked for the client advisory groups of J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Credit Suisse Asset Management. At those companies, he had consulted with and performed research for large pension plan sponsors on issues related to asset allocation and implementation, benchmarking, manager selection, monitoring and risk management.
Mr. Gupta has a doctorate in economics from New York University in New York, and previously earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from University of Mumbai in Mumbai, India.
Nearly seven years after joining Dow Jones, Mr. Gupta continues to make remarkable contributions to the company. He's responsible for the infrastructure that supports and maintains the Dow Jones Hedge Fund Strategy Benchmarks. He also performs research on equity and fixed income indexes and their role in benchmarking passive and active portfolios.