AI and Executive Recruitment: Not the full answer. Yet.
Artificial intelligence in leadership recruitment remains in its infancy, according to Amrop hiring specialists. It shows great promise – but still has much to learn.
“We’re a long way from where we need to be,” reflects Jamal Khan, Managing Partner of Amrop Carmichael Fisher in Australia. “We are still at the start of leveraging AI,” agrees Job Voorhoeve, Leader of Amrop’s Global Digital Practice. “These are early days for AI-driven executive search - and it’s changing every day,” adds Costa Tzavaras, Amrop’s Global Programs Director.
Yet, the momentum is undeniable. “The pace of change will probably be greater in the next year than in the last two decades,” says Khan.
Across the global Amrop network, AI is already being used - though unevenly. “Most people are using Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot,” continues Khan. So far, AI primarily enhances process and support functions, expediting rather than directing executive search and business development. Its applications range from drafting candidate profiles and search strategies to gathering business intelligence. “Or defining where to find the hidden gems, because top people are usually not easy to find,” notes Voorhoeve.
What does the testing tell us?
Mia Zhou is a Director at Amrop China in Shanghai. Like others, she is experimenting. “The past two years have been a testing period for how AI can support me in conducting market or industry research. It has been easy to learn and the cost of failure is fairly low.” Nonetheless she is on her guard: “I have to use my judgment and have my eyes open.” While she is joining her global Amrop colleagues in testing tools from different countries, Chinese AI in particular benefits from the vast data pools generated by TikTok, Tencent and Alibaba.
Read the report
I Am Not a Robot: AI and Leadership Hiring
Part I - Mapping A Shifting Landscape
Amrop’s use of AI has grown in two ways: organically, and with deliberate, strategic investigation. “We took the past 18 months as an experiment,” says Costa Tzavaras, “We’ve tested different instruments - including talent sourcing tools - for different parts of the process in different parts of the business. Do you actually use AI? Is it useful? Is there any push back?”
How are hiring organizations using AI for senior hires?
Jamal Khan is talking about AI with board members and CEOs, and (in more detail), with CIOs or CTOs. They are also experimenting, encouraging employees to find out how AI can simplify their jobs, making them “more fun and scalable.” Using it to produce a piece of graphical marketing content, for example, then adapting the output for multiple uses.
Oana Ciornei is a member of Amrop’s Global Board and the firm's Digital Practice. She is an enthusiastic advocate of AI. Still, she warns of its dangers in a consulting sector that is hunting efficiencies. “A CEO for a major hedge fund decides to invest in an algorithm. And now they’ll fire 7 quants and analysts. Now they're gone, who will prepare the 2nd generation? You can’t become a senior consultant overnight. You need a career path.” Without hands-on experience, a rookie slips into the trap of issuing irrelevant advice. “A consulting career should be built on curiosity, IQ, EQ.” Whilst AI can help, it can never replace capable teachers.
You can read more about AI and consulting in the Harvard Business Review: AI Is Changing the Structure of Consulting Firms
Read our full report: I Am Not A Robot - Part I: Mapping a Shifting Landscape.