Meet the Team: An Interview with Millar Cameron's Consultant Silvia Tikani

This month we sat down with one of our experienced talent acquisition specialists, Silvia Tikani to find out more about her story, what brought her to the Millar Cameron Kenya office and executive search.

1. What’s your current role at Millar Cameron?

I am a Consultant in the Research department, owning end-to-end responsibilities within the executive search/recruitment process under the International Development and Agribusiness sectors. My role entails market research, candidate identification and interviews, and providing best-in-class service to both candidates and clients.

2. Why executive search? What led you to a career in this space?

Having pursued a HR degree in university and like some or most graduates, I was unsure of what I wanted to do post-university, particularly what field of HR I wanted to delve into: either as a Generalist or a Specialist. I began my career as a HR Generalist and took an interest in recruitment within the organisation. I got another opportunity within an executive search firm in Kenya. I found the experience very rewarding as it offered me the privilege to work with diverse and impactful organisations and individuals to address their talent needs.

3. What made you choose Millar Cameron?

I was at the point in my career where I was seeking exposure to more diverse work and markets. Whilst I wasn’t actively looking for a new opportunity, I was headhunted by Millar Cameron, and was impressed by their service, passion, and deep commitment to the development of Africa. It was then I knew this is where I wanted to be, not just for my growth but for the impact that the organisation has on both its clients and candidates. It has been an exciting journey thus far with lots of learning!

4. How would you describe Millar Cameron and the work you do?

Millar Cameron is a talent consultancy firm that specialises in offering best-in-class services to individuals and organisations that operate in senior leadership positions.

We not only offer a wealth of deep market knowledge and insights across sectors but have teams who are passionate about identifying individuals whose expertise and experience enable organisations to further contribute to their mission and vision. We also believe that building professional relationships is key in our process and we value collaborative approaches in our services.

5. Millar Cameron is unique in their passion for and focus on roles in sub-Saharan Africa and emerging markets. Do you have a tie to these countries? What is the most unique or interesting aspect of working on roles across this region?

Prior to joining Millar Cameron, the types of organisations and roles that I handled were predominantly either Kenya or larger East Africa focus. I must admit it has been a great joy being exposed to roles across the region and the most interesting aspect has been interacting with individuals who operate in various sectors and getting to understand the unique or/and transferrable skill sets they offer.

6. Recruiting for senior management, director and C-suite positions requires a unique skill set. How do you prepare your candidates for the recruitment process at this level?

To start with, it is important to not only understand the position and scope of responsibilities in any recruitment process, but to also deeply understand the market in which the organisation recruiting operates in and to be able to relay this information to my candidates in the process is key. This enables me to have deep and meaningful conversations with my candidates and provide them with all the information needed.

Lastly, I have found that constant updates and communication regarding the process have been deeply appreciated by my candidates. This sort of visibility provides confidence and allows them to manage expectations at each level within the process.