Filling key positions with the right personnel is essential for a company’s success. Due to cultural, demographic, and legal differences international recruitment proves to be significantly more complex.
JP contagi is a German-Swiss executive search firm with its headquarters in Düsseldorf and six additional offices across Europe and the key region East and Southeast Asia. We specialize in systematic direct search for qualified personnel in middle and top management positions in Europe and Asia.
Through our systematic direct search approach and equipped with the necessary pragmatism and proven intercultural sensitivity, our teams provide you with an optimized access to the labour markets in Europe and Asia. Many Asian countries are emerging economies characterized by dynamic and high, and intense competition particularly for qualified staff.
Our researchers and consultants specialize in each respective country and are well-versed in the local culture and cultural differences. Our extensive network in both regions and in most key industries enables us to provide you a swift and efficient access to the right candidate pool.
Our on-site teams not only assist our clients in identifying suitable candidates but support you in the selection of the right candidate and, most importantly, in successfully winning this candidate for your company in highly competitive job markets.
One of the biggest challenges for most foreign companies in China lies in dealing with and understanding the cultural differences, especially regarding communication and personnel management.
In recruitment, apart from assessing a candidate’s professional qualifications, the accurate evaluation of the candidate’s so-called ‘cultural fit’ presents a significant challenge for foreign companies due to a lack of understanding of cultural differences.
With many years of experience and our extensive network in China, we assist you in bridging the cultural gap and developing the recruitment solution that best aligns with your business strategy.
Mr. Hsiao J. CHIU is the Managing Partner and the Co-Founder of JP contagi Asia, Greater China region. Being born in German and is of Chinese decent, Mr. Chiu has been serving D|A|CH and Chinese clients across Asia Pacific since 2004. His clients are MNCs and SMEs coming from the Automotive, Machinery, Electronics, Manufacturing, Chemical, and FMCG Industries.
Mr. Chiu holds a degree in East Asian Studies and International Business Management from the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences. He is a native German speaker with business proficiency in English, Mandarin, and Zhejiang dialect.
Mr. Martin TJAN is the Managing Partner and the Co-Founder of JP contagi Asia, leading our Germany office. Mr. Tjan has an extensive executive search experience in European retained firms, mainly serving D|A|CH and Chinese clients in both Asia and Europe. Previously stationed in Shanghai, China; Mr. Tjan is an expert in understanding Chinese business culture and the local HR environment.
Mr. Tjan has a Master’s degree in East Asian Studies from the University of Duisburg-Essen. He is a native German speaker with business proficiency in English, and Mandarin.
Marcus Wittner is managing partner of the contagi group of companies. He was a founding partner of contagi GmbH, the original cell of today’s contagi GROUP. Currently he and his colleagues manage the business of all companies in the PEOPLE division. In the management of the contagi group he is responsible for sales, (int.) business development and alliances.
His professional career covers a diverse spectrum: from working for a well-known German corporation, to founding, developing and selling an IT company, a management buy-in into a manufacturing medium-sized company, a business management position in a family business, to a management position at the University of Applied Sciences in St. Gallen.
Marcus’ networks and insights are correspondingly far-reaching. He uses both in combination with his experience and customer orientation profitably for his clients. Marcus Wittner has two daughters and lives in St. Gallen. He was born and raised in Isny in the Allgäu region of Germany and studied business administration at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
Vietnam is one of the rapidly growing countries in Southeast Asia. An increasing number of Vietnamese individuals value higher education and have the means to seize the opportunity to benefit from the new and diverse trainings offerings.
Despite the relatively low average age of the Vietnamese population and the high availability of affordable labour, recruiting skilled professionals and managers remains a major challenge for foreign companies. With the burgeoning economy and the shortage of qualified personnel, companies need to anticipate that the competition for the best employees will remain highly intense, and salaries will continue to rise.
JP contagi has extensive experience in recruitment of senior personnel in the so-called ’emerging markets.’ We would be delighted to leverage our expertise and insights for your benefit, enabling your company to thrive successfully in this extremely competitive job market.
In the competition for the ‘best talents’ in the global talent pool, progressive Singapore aims to build a sustainable economy. The high cost of living has surged even more post-pandemic, ultimately impacting salaries and thus personnel costs.
The (bureaucratic) barriers to bring in non-local professionals, especially non-local skilled professionals, have recently been increased, adding to the complexity of this matter. Hence, designing a meaningful and intriguing job profile followed by a precise candidate- search and -approach and finally making the right selection are of utmost importance.
JP contagi supports you in creating a suitable job profile and effectively identify and win the right candidate for you.
Kristine N. Horbach is Director Southeast Asia and the contact Person of JP contagi Singapore. She furthermore supports all Southeast Asian development activities at JP contagi Asia. Ms. Horbach studied Law in Germany in Bonn and Cologne.
She has been working for over 13 years in different consulting positions in China Mainland, Hong Kong, and London. Having always served D|A|CH SMEs in all her positions, she has a deep understanding of German Industries and their challenges in Asia. Furthermore, she is relationship Manager for our Asian clients.
Marcus Wittner is managing partner of the contagi group of companies. He was a founding partner of contagi GmbH, the original cell of today’s contagi GROUP. Currently he and his colleagues manage the business of all companies in the PEOPLE division. In the management of the contagi group he is responsible for sales, (int.) business development and alliances.
His professional career covers a diverse spectrum: from working for a well-known German corporation, to founding, developing and selling an IT company, a management buy-in into a manufacturing medium-sized company, a business management position in a family business, to a management position at the University of Applied Sciences in St. Gallen.
Marcus’ networks and insights are correspondingly far-reaching. He uses both in combination with his experience and customer orientation profitably for his clients. Marcus Wittner has two daughters and lives in St. Gallen. He was born and raised in Isny in the Allgäu region of Germany and studied business administration at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
Marcus Wittner is managing partner of the contagi group of companies. He was a founding partner of contagi GmbH, the original cell of today’s contagi GROUP. Currently he and his colleagues manage the business of all companies in the PEOPLE division. In the management of the contagi group he is responsible for sales, (int.) business development and alliances.
His professional career covers a diverse spectrum: from working for a well-known German corporation, to founding, developing and selling an IT company, a management buy-in into a manufacturing medium-sized company, a business management position in a family business, to a management position at the University of Applied Sciences in St. Gallen.
Marcus’ networks and insights are correspondingly far-reaching. He uses both in combination with his experience and customer orientation profitably for his clients. Marcus Wittner has two daughters and lives in St. Gallen. He was born and raised in Isny in the Allgäu region of Germany and studied business administration at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
Mr. Chris MOLL is the Associate Partner and the Contact Person of JP contagi Asia, leading our Thailand office. Mr. Moll was born in Switzerland with Southeast Asian roots. With two decades of sales and negotiation experience, he is an expert in client acquisition and customer service.
Mr. Moll has previously working in the fields of Technology, Wealth Management, Finance and International Trade. He has been serving clients coming from various cultural backgrounds; moreover, providing clients with solutions for complex business challenges. Mr. Moll holds both Swiss and Thai citizenship and has been living in Bangkok since 2019.
Despite relatively low labour costs, Thailand still faces a shortage of qualified workers, posing a challenge for foreign companies in regard to communication and collaboration with the local entities. High demand for qualified employees results in high employee turnover which in turn can have a negative impact on the quality and efficiency of the company’s business operations. Employee retentions starts with the right selection of employees. JP contagi assists you in finding the right personnel and in developing recruitment solutions that align with your business strategy in Thailand.
In Malaysia, companies can count on a highly developed infrastructure and at the same time benefit from comparatively low business costs. Malaysia is thus positioning itself as a first-class choice for entering the market in (Southeast) Asia.
Local university graduates have a solid academic education and good English skills. However, there is a shortage of skilled workers in Malaysia and well-educated people often emigrate abroad. Recruiting qualified specialists and managers is therefore a major challenge for national and international companies in Malaysia – similar to other Southeast Asian countries.
Thanks to our experience in executive search in Asia, JP contagi has a network and the necessary expertise to find the right candidates for your company in Malaysia in a timely and targeted manner.
Mr. Markus HELBLING is the Associate Partner and the Contact Person of JP contagi Asia, leading our office in Malaysia. Mr. Helbling has been an entrepreneur in Malaysia for over ten years and a proven track record in the areas of general management, project management, business development, as well as communications and marketing. He supported numerous German-speaking companies in various industries in their internationalization processes in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
In Switzerland, Mr. Helbling worked for big name media companies like Ringier, Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) and CH Media for over twelve years. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Bern and an Executive Master in Communications Management from the University of Lugano.
Mr. Helbling served as a Board Member of the Swiss-Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (SMCC) between 2017 and 2021, from 2020 to 2021 as a Vice Chairman.
Marcus Wittner is managing partner of the contagi group of companies. He was a founding partner of contagi GmbH, the original cell of today’s contagi GROUP. Currently he and his colleagues manage the business of all companies in the PEOPLE division. In the management of the contagi group he is responsible for sales, (int.) business development and alliances.
His professional career covers a diverse spectrum: from working for a well-known German corporation, to founding, developing and selling an IT company, a management buy-in into a manufacturing medium-sized company, a business management position in a family business, to a management position at the University of Applied Sciences in St. Gallen.
Marcus’ networks and insights are correspondingly far-reaching. He uses both in combination with his experience and customer orientation profitably for his clients. Marcus Wittner has two daughters and lives in St. Gallen. He was born and raised in Isny in the Allgäu region of Germany and studied business administration at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
Mr. Martin TJAN is the Managing Partner and the Co-Founder of JP contagi Asia, leading our Germany office. Mr. Tjan has an extensive executive search experience in European retained firms, mainly serving D|A|CH and Chinese clients in both Asia and Europe. Previously stationed in Shanghai, China; Mr. Tjan is an expert in understanding Chinese business culture and the local HR environment.
Mr. Tjan has a Master’s degree in East Asian Studies from the University of Duisburg-Essen. He is a native German speaker with business proficiency in English, and Mandarin.
Marcus Wittner is managing partner of the contagi group of companies. He was a founding partner of contagi GmbH, the original cell of today’s contagi GROUP. Currently he and his colleagues manage the business of all companies in the PEOPLE division. In the management of the contagi group he is responsible for sales, (int.) business development and alliances.
His professional career covers a diverse spectrum: from working for a well-known German corporation, to founding, developing and selling an IT company, a management buy-in into a manufacturing medium-sized company, a business management position in a family business, to a management position at the University of Applied Sciences in St. Gallen.
Marcus’ networks and insights are correspondingly far-reaching. He uses both in combination with his experience and customer orientation profitably for his clients. Marcus Wittner has two daughters and lives in St. Gallen. He was born and raised in Isny in the Allgäu region of Germany and studied business administration at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
Either through the creation of a subsidiary or through a Merger & Acquisition, a successful penetration and development of a foreign market will strongly depend on qualified personnel who possess the necessary local expertise.
Our China Desk-Inbound supports Chinese companies in Europe with HR Consulting services, including Talent Management (Recruiting, Retention, Development), Interim Management (Project Based Placements), Post Merger HR Integration, Talent Mapping Surveys, Salary Benchmarks, Cross Cultural Trainings, HR Administration Outsourcing. We, further, consult Chinese MNCs in identifying and attracting foreign experts for their operations in China and help them to become global champions.
Our clients also include traditional German companies whose ownership structure has changed and is now dominated by Chinese investors.
“The JP contagi Asia team assisted us in finding leadership talent for our organization in China and Asia. We especially appreciated their high level of professionalism and personal commitment. If you are seeking assistance with personnel acquisition in China and Asia, JP contagi Asia should be your preferred choice.”
“JP contagi understands the high expectations of a German mid-sized company and has an excellent access to highly qualified managers in the Chinese job market. The collaboration with JP contagi Asia has always been straightforward and goal-oriented.”
“The JP contagi Asia team is highly knowledgeable about the market and consistently kept us informed about the progress during the recruitment process. The JP contagi team worked with a clear goal, swiftly, and with high professionalism, meeting our expectations entirely. It has always been a pleasure working with JP contagi Asia.”
“Since China is not exactly around the corner, we needed competent assistance to support us in finding the suitable candidates that match our culture. Therefore, we were very fortunate to have JP contagi Asia as a partner who not only understands the local market and culture but also knows our mentality very well. This ultimately had a very positive impact on the outcome, with which we are still very pleased today.”
