In spite of the recent Asian crisis, many international groups and companies still consider Asia as a priority area to develop their business. As they develop their presence in the region, they create more and more openings for regional executives in their corporate structure.

Regional executives are responsible to manage their function in a territory that includes several countries. An important aspect of their mission is to establish common operating methods and standards in their territory that are consistent with the company's global operating methods and policies. They build a model for their function that they apply to every country under their responsibility. They adjust the model to fit with the particular requirements of every market, with the help of the local functional managers who report to them. They support these local managers with their professional expertise and their experience with the company's systems. They serve as a link between them and the company's headquarters. A local manager will often have two reporting lines: administratively, he will report to the Managing Director or the General Manager in charge of his country. Functionally, he will report to the regional executive in charge of his function.

For example, a regional Sales Director will be responsible to achieve the regional sales targets. He will work with the national Sales Managers in every country to develop distribution channels and set distribution policies. He will exchange information with them on successful deals made by the company in different countries. He will seek opportunities to offer enhanced services to key regional customers. When the company does not have its own sales team in a country, he will work with the local distributors to ensure that they meet the sales forecasts and that they promote the products in the right way.

As Taiwanese enterprises internationalize, they send more and more of their managers to support their growth in the region. Thousands of Taiwanese managers are currently working for Taiwanese firms not only in mainland China but also in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

An increasing number of Taiwanese managers also are accessing regional executive positions in American and European multinational companies. Taiwanese managers are strongest in industries that are well developed on Taiwan, such as computers, computer peripherals, semiconductors, telecommunication, consumer products, chemicals, or textile. I foresee a growing demand for Taiwanese retail managers in the coming years, especially in mainland China. Multinationals have been investing in these industries on Taiwan for a long time. They have trained local managers. At the same time, they have gained valuable experience in this market that can be used as a model for other Asian countries. Although there are examples in every function today, multinationals tend to give regional responsibilities to Taiwanese managers in three main functions: business development (sales), manufacturing and technical support.

Multinational companies require the following features from their regional executives.

• They must be experts in their field.
• They must speak and write English very well.
• They must be flexible and able to work well between cultures. This means working between a western culture, their own culture and the various cultures in their territory.
• They must be able to lead, motivate and train other executives.
• They must be able to set trends and to improve systems.
• They must be very mobile, since they often need to travel or they need to be based overseas for certain periods of time.
• They must be able to use modern communication tools such as email, portable computers and presentation software.
• Last but not least, they must be healthy.

Here are a few tips to prepare for a regional career.

• Learn a professional expertise and become really good at it.
• Practice English.
• Travel in Asia and learn about the different cultures in the region.
• Prepare your family a long time in advance.
• Keep yourself  informed on economic and political developments in the region.
• Seek opportunities to attend international events and seminars.
• Develop your presentation skills.
• Learn how to be a good coach for your team, at work or during sports activities.

Eric Dieny is President of EMS Consulting executive search firm, Chairman of the Consulting Services Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, and a former co-Chairman of the China Business Committee and the Labor Affairs Committee of the same Chamber.

A version of this article was published in the China Post --  the leading English newspaper in Taiwan, on April 23-24, 1999.

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