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When it comes to identifying and placing talent for the region’s end-to-end Supply Chain sector, the leading Executive Search expert in Supply Chain & Logistics has a keen knack for engaging top-performing senior executives for his clients. Brian Cartwright is a rarity in an industry sector that’s often struggling to find and attract the right calibre of high-performance leadership talent.

As with any fast-paced and volatile business, discovering top and perfectly suited talent for the Supply Chain and Logistics industry can be difficult. In many instances, there is a dearth of good talent, skills and experience which is why many corporations use the services of high-end executive search firms to provide professional placement services. Many clients use them to identify suitable competent candidates that may not be immediately identifiable in the market and, essentially, avoid the cost of a bad hire.

Brian Cartwright, the Dubai-based Client Partner at Pedersen & Partners, has over fifteen years of experience in Executive Search and Recruitment, and credited with having successfully carried out hundreds of senior leadership searches for the global Supply Chain and Logistics sector. His Middle East and Africa experience consists of assignments completed over the course of a decade living and working in UAE. He specialises in Supply Chain and Logistics-related functions for top C-Suite, VP, and Director-level positions in global, regional, and country level roles, working with service providers and end-user companies including large listed corporations, family-owned conglomerates, SMEs, and start-ups.

Global Supply Chain (GSC): Give us the brief 30-second spiel on Pedersen & Partners?

Brian Cartwright (BC): Pedersen & Partners is a leading international Executive Search firm, founded in 2001. We operate 57 wholly owned offices in 53 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Dubai was our first office in the MEA Region, opening in 2008.

Since then, Pedersen & Partners has established offices in Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia. We combine our comprehensive experience in emerging and developed markets with an extensive global footprint and proven expertise in making successful executive placements to ensure that our clients grow and expand into new markets while simultaneously remaining competitive.

Our novel ‘Best Team Forward’ approach ensures that our service goes beyond standard solutions for executive appointments. Instead, we strive to solve complex senior recruitment needs for our clients, from top-level management and C-Suite level placements to complex board governance issues, and to become their trusted advisors. We are devoted to building and sustaining authentic long-term relationships with our clients and candidates, staying focused and engaged on providing precise support and well-rounded advice to secure the absolute best leadership teams.

GSC: As the Client Partner, Supply Chain & Logistics, what specifically does your work entail?

BC: Ultimately, I support companies who are hiring senior leadership roles in the global Supply Chain and Logistics sector, although it’s probably more accurate to say I am in the knowledge and relationships business. It’s my job to constantly engage with people in the market to stay abreast of the trends, challenges and opportunities across the global supply chain whilst keeping a close eye on the top performing leaders in the sector and building relationships with them. My daily goal is to constantly expand my knowledge of the market by meeting and speaking to people.

When clients engage me to conduct an executive search, they are benefiting from my knowledge and my ability to open discussions with key people in the market, including people who don’t have a public profile online, or who are not even considering a change of jobs right now. My ability to successfully complete each search is a by-product of my involvement in the sector every day. Whenever I interact with people, it’s a discussion based on trust and deep insight and knowledge of the people, the companies and the sector I specialise in.

Read the full interview here.