ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the internationalization of global professional service firms through an analysis of the retained executive search industry in Australia. It focuses on the internationalization of global retained executive search firms in Australia and primarily Sydney. The rapid internationalization of primary, manufacturing and service transnational firms, particularly in banking, financial and business services, created unprecedented demand for the retained firms search and selection services in new foreign markets. Clients expected their executive search firms to supply bespoke services in situ directly in the market, particularly in the key world and capital cities of the Asia-Pacific. Many partners whose organizations were part of an international network of executive search firms were at best ambivalent and at worst highly sceptical about the benefits. This is a surprising finding given the strong emphasis of being embedded within a global network in this sector.
