Vell News

More Directors Selected for Sector Expertise
AGENDA - October 19, 2009
Boards at companies including Boeing, BJ’s Wholesale Club and Armstrong World Industries have been appointing directors with experience in their industries or sectors.
Katie Wagner

July’s Moves: Financial Expertise Still at a Premium in Director Recruitment
AGENDA - August 10, 2009
The financial crisis has underscored for boards the importance of recruiting directors with financial expertise. “With all the bank failures, the need for governance of the books has to increase,” says Dora Vell
Katie Wagner

There’s Room at The Top
FORBES - 07.22.09
The best leaders aren't afraid to surround themselves with powerful people-even if those people might eventually pose a threat.
Klaus Kneale

Responsibilities for Lead Directors
Go Beyond Chairing Executive Sessions
AGENDA - July 20, 2009
Over the past few years, lead directors’ authority within their companies and their general duties have been increasing.
Katie Wagner

May’s Moves: Boards Under Pressure to Change
AGENDA - June 8, 2009
When Frank Bruffey Jr., the founder of Protech Associates Inc., a company that provides technology solutions to member-based trade and professional associations, decided it was time to step down from day-to-day management as chief executive officer, he was lucky to have a 23-year company veteran ready to take over: his son. While operating a family-owned business is fraught with its own challenges, in this case it made succession planning and the transition much easier than it often is for entrepreneurs.
Katie Wagner

Creating a Successful Succession Plan
MSN - May 2009
Pressure to make changes to boards has increased since the financial crisis began, especially for TARP participants, say board recruiters. During May, 11 of the 39 director departuresoccurred at boards whose companies participate in the Troubled Asset Relief Program, according to research using Audit Analytics’ database. (The research is based on companies with $3 billion or more in revenues.)
Toddi Gutner

Engineering Experience Helps Tech CEOs Drive Growth
MASS HIGH TECH - April 3, 2009
Companies looking for a new CEO may be looking in the wrong places for people with the wrong backgrounds, according to the latest report from Vell Executive Search. The report, which analyzed the CEOs of 38 technology product companies, revealed a number of surprises, challenging some common beliefs about what makes for a successful tech CEO.
Lynette F. Cornell, Mass High Tech Intern

Hiring A New CEO? Go Outside The Company
Forbes.com - MARCH 10, 2009
Chief executive officers promoted from within a company don't perform nearly as well as ones recruited from outside. That's what a new study by Vell Executive Search found.
Klaus Kneale

Managing Your Career
The Wall Street Journal - MARCH 3, 2009
When Big Resumes Chase Small Jobs
BIOLOGIST David Weinberg received feelers from a biotechnology start-up shortly after Merck & Co. laid him off in October.

Succession Planning in a Pinch
Business Week - September 9, 2008
The hospitality and travel company hadn't anticipated going outside the family when Chairman Marilyn Carlson Nelson stepped down as CEO, so there were no Plan B candidates

Your Career: MBA isn't a guarantee
MSNBC.com - March 10, 2008
Many top executives succeed without advance degrees, recruiters say.
By Eve Tahmincioglu

Recruiters: Private cos. can win star board members
Boston Business Journal - January 18-24, 2008
Public companies aren't the only ones searching for rock star executives to join their boards of directors.

Big firm or small, what's the best fit for your career?
The Boston Globe - October, 2007
Whether just starting a career or having reached a crossroads within it, job search will often contemplate the age-old question...

Taking you business to the NEXT level.
Fortune Small Business - May, 2007
Heidi Albert can perfectly recall the moment she knew her time was up.

How to Negotiate an Employment Contract
The Boston Globe - March, 2007
While working as a managing director in charge of IT infrastructure, Christopher Barron noticed some inadequacies in his company's effort to comply with federal regulations.

Headhunters Report Challenges in CEO Search
Boston Business Journal - August, 2006
Global CEO turnover reached record levels for the second year in a row and may be peaking, according to BoozAllen Hamilton's fifth annual surveyof CEO turnover at the world's 2,500 largest public companies.

Interview Etiquette Begins the Minute You Walk in the Door
The Wall Street Journal - August, 2006
One afternoon in February 2003, Gateway Chief Executive Ted Waitt was supposed to interview a promising candidate for the top human-resourcesspot at the struggling personal-computer maker.

To Snag a Job Offer, Learn What Damage You Do in Interviews
The Wall Street Journal - May, 2006
William Olson has switched employers seven times in 25 years, usually because a search firm pursued him. His success stems in part from his refusal to cooperate unless the recruiter promises to give him frank feedback about his performance during interviews.

Getting on Board
CIO Magazine - February, 2006
Being a member of a board of directors isn't easy, but offers great rewards. Here are eight points to help improve your chances of being selected for a board.

Your Resume Is Mission Critical
CIO Magazine - December, 2005
A tight labor market means the right resume is essential to getting ahead...

Finding Hidden Gems on Your Career Path
CIO Magazine - October, 2005
Great careers don't just happen. Here's how to mine the opportunities to maximize your potential.

Career Road Hazards
Mass High Tech Journal - August, 2005
Underemployment and just plain unemployment has been a hard reality for many C-level executives ....

Negotiating Your Worth
American venture Magazine - 2005
You get what you negotiate, not what you're worth. Here's how to do both.

Changes at the top: the art and science of planning and
managing CEO succession
Succession planning is not about picking a talented executive ....

In search of the New Age CEO
As technology continues to transform the nature of doing business ....

Talent Shopping North Of The Border
IT Business Edge - July, 2005
With Dora Vell, managing partner of global technology/corporate search firm Vell & Associates....

High-tech job recruiting's 'white-hot' in Massachusetts
Progress - March, 2005
High-tech "is white-hot" on the executive recruiting scene. And indications are good....