Dollar Rent-a-Car in Canada,
is a master licensee of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. Dollar Rent- a-Car (US) has more then 260 suburban and
on-airport rental car locations. It also has more than 400 car rental
locations in 26 countries including those in Australia, Canada, the
Caribbean and Latin America. The Canadian operation, owned by The
SkyLink Group, Toronto, franchises to local dealers across the country.
Dollar claims 100 outlets in Canada with a fleet of over 4,000 cars.
SkyLink was in the process of divesting itself of one of the original
equity partners, and in so doing would need a new President for Canada.
The new President needed to be a seasoned bottom-line manager,
knowledgeable in the automotive and leasing business. The mandate was to
triple the number of franchisees, weed-out and replace non-performers,
and double the fleet to 8000 vehicles over a three-year period. Over the
same period, this individual was to transform the leasing division back
to its original mandate of wholesaling cars to both third parties and
the franchisees who will supply their own lines of credit.
The
ideal candidate would have a background in the automotive and/or leasing
business. With about 10+ years experience, he/she might be found in a
competitive company, car dealership group, automotive manufacturer or
other areas where vehicle leasing occurs. Experience in franchise
development and relationship management was imperative. Because of the
competitiveness in the leasing market, the search was confidential.
Research was initiated to identify all major and minor automotive
leasing companies and the management teams running them. It was extended
to heavy equipment leasing companies and requisite people working for
car manufacturers. At the same time, a compensation review was developed
to educate the client as to the cost of a CEO who came with the
broad-based competencies mentioned above. The consolidated information
was reviewed with the client to determine if there were any business
conflicts that had to be respected or individuals that the client had
met in the past.
As
the search was confidential, the consultant needed to assess and
recommend the specifics of how information was to be imparted to
prospective candidates. As SkyLink was an entrepreneurial driven
organization, the consultant needed to develop competencies and a job
description. With all the process elements created, the consultant
needed to client agreement to realistic deadlines.
The
search was successfully completed in 12 weeks without the competition or
the incumbent becoming aware of the process. The client was presented
with 5 long-listed candidates, which was eventually reduced to 2. Both
finalists came from competitive companies. The consultant managed the
psychological testing process, supervised intensive reference checking,
and negotiated the offer. The consultant also developed the business
case process that would eventually differentiate the two finalist
candidates, which involved psychological testing of both the
candidates and the CEO to determine optimum ft.
