Our client is a wholly owned Sarawak State Government company formed in 2017 to
spearhead the State’s participation in the oil and gas sector. The company is set to be a major revenue contributor to the State through active participation as a major player in the exploitation and utilisation of oil and natural gas resources in Sarawak
The business is cyclical, highly capital-intensive and has been entrusted with a heavy responsibility by the State Government. As the company started from scratch, the learning curves were steep and the executives were hired before any real profits were seen from Sarawak’s assets. The team lacked experience and expert opinions in regard to increased oil royalties for the State and therefore struggled to offer a commercially-viable solution for the benefit of Sarawak and the nation’s oil and gas industry.
The Hiring Challenge
Our client had experienced severe difficulties when searching for a Chief Finance Officer (CFO) in a candidate-short market; priority would be given to local Sarawakian talent to drive competitive advantage. The CFO position was critical to the client’s business strategy.
- Various prerequisites were set to ensure an effective hire; the ideal candidate must be confident in leading the business, be responsible for the growth of the company and have a good understanding of petroleum fiscal regimes such as PSC.
- This role had remained vacant for more than three months despite their ongoing recruitment efforts. The client needed the support of a workforce solutions company with comprehensive market experience in order to attract the right candidate.
Our Solution
NES Fircroft’s Asia Pacific headquarters are in Kuala Lumpur, with an additional in-country office in Miri.
- An NES recruitment consultant attended an industry engagement event organised by the client and liaised with the HR team in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the role requirements, both practical and cultural.
- We have served the oil and gas market in Malaysia since 1995. Utilising our established networks and connections, we undertook a discreet direct headhunting effort enabling us to map out the market of relevant candidates and target our search to the active and passive market.
- We approached only the most suitable candidates and generated a pre-qualified shortlist within very tight timescales. Those successful were then interviewed by the client for psychometric testing.
The Outcome
A successful placement was made in a very quick timeframe; the client was impressed with the profile fit of our short-listed candidates and our rapid execution of the scope. NES has since been collaborating with our client as a preferred supplier to assist in driving their business forward and securing further key hires.