NextGen Global Executive Search

Vision

Having actual real time data from active sensors feeding into artificial intelligence engines is the future of energy efficiency and better safety transportation. Having the car make quick adjustments to the drive path to avoid an accident or a possibly having an IOT sensor continuous adjust the airflow to keep the car cooler to conserve battery power is closer to near term than most people realize. Tesla’s (Tesla) self-driving feature continues to make headlines as the next up and coming feature that will help drive greater connection between the car and the IOT sensors deployed through the cities and highways. Blackberry (Blackberry QNX) through their autonomous car division in Canada developed an operating system that connects all 452 IP enabled sensors inside the car. By using their QNX operation system, these sensors can communicate with traffic lights, sense when another car is nearby or if the driver has a medical emergency, the vehicle will be smart enough to notify and proceed to the nearest hospital. These are all becoming acceptable use cases for IOT.

Will autonomous cars and other forms of transportation work without an IOT strategy? The challenge is not the lack of vision for IOT, the major issue is the lack centralized engineering standards and protocols. For an autonomous car to communicate with remote IOT sensors like stop lights, each sensor within the car will need to continued need to be operational and with the most updated software firm to insure predictable operations. The revolution of “Over the Air” software updates in real time became mainstream with the cell phone manufacturers like Samsung (Samsung OTA) and Apple. With the car hosting so many IOT sensors, how would the car be able to keep up with the constant change in firmware and security patches? Blackberry along with competing solutions from Toyota and other car manufactures place a huge reverence of the core real-time operating systems to receive the various firmware’s and apply the various patches in a flow and staggered fashion. As an example, when a car comes to a complete stop, the real time operating system could begin to apply secondary patches to the various “idol” sensors in the car. Once the car begins to move, the updates will either complete or enter a pause state.

Alignment to the “Smart City” Internet Of Things Strategy

Many cities around the world continue to evolve their infrastructures to include smart power plans, smart transportation, and industrial 4.0 factories. These IP enabled systems combined with a robust 5G infrastructure, slowly becoming the new normal in urban development. Having a greater “interconnection” between the infrastructure and consumption layers within society not only will develop a much cleaning method of energy consumption, this new “smart” thinking is a behind the need for a greater efficiency in the infrastructure itself. By using self-driving autonomous cars, cities can now offer self-driving cars as a service for those that cannot afford transporting by having a series of vehicles circling the city limited assisting many that need to get somewhere quickly. These IOT powered cars will connected through a series of control sensor, traffic cameras, and updated real road conditions while also providing value consumption data based on usage of the service. Currently today in North America, the “ The battery-powered Xcelsior (New Flyer Bus) AV from New Flyer” is currently being used in Connecticut to provide driver-less transportation services.

Companies like Advantech (Advantech IOT) in Taiwan and Qualcomm (Qualcomm IOT) in San Diego California are examples of industry thought leaders in developing IOT sensors and devices for the “Smart City” evolution. Several more companies like Google, Amazon, and Cisco Systems also continue to drive innovation and IOT standards. IOT as an industry is driving several eco-system partners helping to develop security standards, better use of a “over the air firmware” deployment, and cloud-based applications to analyze the data in real time for faster and more efficient solutions. The future of IOT is a lesson in continued change, agile development, and a true collaboration of cities, states, and nations to connect the world to make a different in how we live together.

The Internet of Things is just one of the markets NextGen excels at, please have a look at all the markets we specialize in.

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Comprehensive pre-employment background checks are an absolute necessity in the realm of talent recruitment and executive search. Your time is a valuable commodity, especially when considering high-touch candidates destined for executive placement or CEO succession. The time spent performing comprehensive background checks may be considerable, but it’s crucial for ensuring a return on your investment in leadership hiring and successful CEO transitions.

Knowing what potential dangers lurk before you put significant effort into somebody makes good business sense. If it were a business acquisition, you would be performing the same sort of due diligence on the company you intend to purchase, so why not apply this to your human assets as well? This is particularly important when considering candidates for CEO responsibilities and other high-level executive management positions, whether through internal search or external search processes.

The Growing Importance of Background Checks in Modern Business

According to a recent study by the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA), 94% of employers conduct at least one type of background screening[^1]. This statistic underscores the critical nature of verification in today’s hiring landscape. The rise in remote work and global hiring has only amplified the need for thorough vetting processes, especially in executive search and CEO succession planning.

Conducting comprehensive pre-employment background checks prior to in-person interviews is one of the surest ways to confirm that your candidate is representing themselves with verity — your brand reputation and the company’s future depends on it. When it is a leadership role, management position, or customer-facing role, it is even more important to know exactly who is sitting on the other side of that desk. In this age of lawsuits and litigation, being armed with verified, up-to-the-minute information is your best protection against potential risks to business performance during CEO transitions.

Strategic Integration of Background Checks in the Recruitment Process

Performing comprehensive pre-employment background checks before you hire is important, but conducting them during the course of the executive search process is just as crucial. The more you know about a candidate, the better you will be able to predict their success or lack thereof. This knowledge can significantly impact your interview process, allowing you to craft behavioral-based interview questions that delve deeper into a candidate’s strategic thinking and decision-making capabilities.

Visit NextGenExecSearch.com/executive-search-process/ and click on the top button titled: See How it Works, to see how our executive search process works.

Research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) indicates that the cost of a bad hire can equal up to five times the annual salary for senior positions[^2]. This sobering statistic emphasizes why thorough background screening is not just a security measure but a critical financial decision in both internal search and external search processes for executive roles.

Comprehensive Verification: Beyond Basic Checks

Making sure you are placing the right person in the right position is so much more than just job experience and having the appropriate demeanor. Ensuring that your strategic candidate will meet all expectations and does not present a danger to you, the onboarding company, their brand, or their staff assures a return on your investment. It also gives you a stronger platform to work from when negotiating the deal, whether it’s for CEO succession or other executive positions.

A comprehensive background check for executive positions should include:

Criminal history verification at federal, state, and county levels
Education and professional certification validation
Employment history verification
Credit history review (where legally permissible)
Social media presence assessment
Global watchlist screening
Professional license verification
Executive reputation analysis

The Value of Authentic References

Most HR departments, hiring managers, and talent search professionals ask their candidates to supply several references. Let’s be honest – these are peers, friends, and by and large 50% are therefore biased. Executive recruitment firms like NextGen dig up and cold call references we find who are past internal customers the candidate interfaced with, vendors, external customers, and those who reported to them, as well as their former superiors.

These names we dig up are caught off guard, are honest, and really do help to provide an accurate balance of professional references in comprehensive background checks for CEO succession and other executive roles.

Advanced Reference Checking and Leadership Assessment

The process of reference checking goes beyond simply verifying employment history. It provides valuable insights into a candidate’s leadership style, strategic leadership capabilities, and their potential for driving change leadership within an organization. This information is crucial for assessing a candidate’s culture fit and their ability to align with the company’s growth objectives, especially when conducted by a CEO search committee.

Recent studies in leadership development indicate that past performance in similar roles is one of the strongest predictors of executive success[^3]. This underscores the importance of thorough reference checking that goes beyond surface-level verification, particularly when using CEO scorecards to evaluate potential candidates.

Risk Mitigation and Legal Compliance

In today’s complex business environment, background checks serve as a crucial risk management tool in executive search and CEO succession planning. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provides specific guidelines for conducting background checks in a non-discriminatory manner, while the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) outlines the legal requirements for background screening processes.

Organizations must ensure their background checking procedures comply with:

Federal and state privacy laws
Industry-specific regulations
International data protection requirements
Equal employment opportunity guidelines
Fair credit reporting standards

The Return on Investment

The investment in comprehensive background checks pays dividends in multiple ways:

Reduced risk of negligent hiring claims
Enhanced workplace safety and security
Improved quality of hire
Protected company reputation
Increased regulatory compliance
Better employee retention rates

Comprehensive pre-employment background checks are an essential component of any successful talent recruitment strategy, particularly when it comes to executive search, CEO succession, and creating a robust CEO profile. They not only help mitigate risks but also ensure that the chosen candidate possesses the necessary strategic thinking and decision-making capabilities to drive the organization forward.

By incorporating thorough background checks into your recruitment criteria and onboarding program, you can better serve the interests of all stakeholders and set the stage for successful leadership impact and improved business performance during CEO transitions.

Visit our Custom Onboarding page to see how we excel in assisting your new hire to achieve faster results, whether they’re joining through internal search or external search processes for you succession bench or a replacement. Few other industries are as important to proper background checks as Hi-Tech Power Electronics, Semiconductors, Industry 4.0, IoT, IIoT, Medical Device, Defense and Aerospace.

[^1]: Professional Background Screening Association. (2024). “Background Screening: Trends and Best Practices Report.” https://thepbsa.org/resources/background-screening-trends

[^2]: Society for Human Resource Management. (2023). “The True Cost of a Bad Hire.” https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition

[^3]: Harvard Business Review. (2023). “Predictors of Executive Success: A Longitudinal Study.” https://hbr.org/research/executive-success-factors