Country Manager, Japan
Working with LinkedIn to hire their first dedicated Country Manager, Japan was another highly rewarding albeit challenging project. It’s still one of the most meaningful placements we’ve made, not just because of the outcome, but because of the long-term impact on the business.
The Challenge.
LinkedIn had been operating in Japan for a few years but without a true country leader. Senior functional heads were stepping in to fill the gap, but no one was dedicated to building the business holistically.
Japan was seeing consistent growth, however, user adoption was slower than other markets, particularly in APAC. Past searches struggled to produce the kind of leader who could connect their global vision with local market realities and internal efforts to hire for the role hadn’t resulted in the quality of hire leadership was expecting. We were engaged to complement and solve their already exhaustive search.
The Approach.
We started by building trust: sharing insights into Japan’s talent market, how leaders here evaluate opportunities, and what realistic success could look like. We displayed an ability to bring hard-to-reach candidates to the table and communicate in a manner that resonated with local candidates. Our search efforts led to re-engage discussions with a veteran product leader whom LinkedIn was interested in but had lost touch with. That person ultimately became their hire.
The Outcome.
Our approach involved aligning with global stakeholders, sharing insights navigating complex compensation expectations, and clarifying what this role should actually own. Their new leader delivered, developing a local product strategy and accelerating growth in a way the global team had long hoped for.