A new board of directors for the RPO Alliance plots a new course for the industry.
By the editors
Economic report after report continues to say this remains a jobless recovery. Businesses around the country and around the world continue to hunker down, delaying new hiring. One reason: the high cost to recruit and hire top talent. What can companies do to turn the economic recovery into new jobs? What can RPO companies and the companies that use RPO services do to jump-start real job growth?
One group of executives has come together to help lead the charge. The HROA’s RPO Alliance, its Special Interest Group for this market segment, inaugurated a new board of directors in June and placed a renewed emphasis on the power of RPO to super-charge the economy. “As the economy recovers,” said the HROA’s Global Executive Director Richard Crespin, “companies will look for the most efficient ways to attract and retain top talent. RPO offers flexibility, lower cost, and the effective targeting system for getting the people who will start and maintain the economic recovery.”
The new board of directors will oversee the RPOA’s work around the world and has already taken upon itself to focus on improving the RPO experience for employers, managers, and employees around the world. To do so, the board built into its very fabric the necessary ingredient for success: a recalibrated representation of all industry players. Under revamped bylaws, the board must include balanced representation from buyers, providers, and advisors.
The newly elected board includes an unprecedented level of buyer participation with directors Neal Krisko from Baker Hughes, Tim Jones from ConAgra Foods, Michael Patrick from Honeywell, and Elizabeth Petro from Eastman Kodak. With its provider and advisor representatives Kim Davis from Adecco RPO, Rebecca Callahan from SoureRight, Terry Terhark from The Right Thing, Inc., Sue Marks from Pinstripe, Dan White from IBM, Jim McCoy from Manpower, Cindy Cardwell from EquaTerra, and Hary Botka from TPI, it truly represents a cross-section of all industry players.
At its inaugural meeting in August, the board will specifically focus on better preparing companies to assess their readiness for RPO, tackling tough implementation issues, and managing multi-national programs. They also want input from all RPO constituencies. Keep an eye out for new discussion forums in the HROA’s LinkedIn groups, new tools and research on the HROA Web site (www.hroa.org), and frequent updates in the HROA’s monthly newsletter.
This new board and its laser focus will give voice to the RPO community in a way previously unavailable from any industry association. This new leadership team, representing such a diverse set of recruiting and staffing leaders, will position the RPOA and the RPO industry for continued growth as the economic recovery matures. And together with the RPO industry and its client companies it will begin to turn the corner, away from a jobless recovery toward real job creation.
