A multifaceted expert, Sanjeev Pradhan Roy is the Regional Business Director of James Douglas Middle East and brings over 25 years of experience. With an exceptional career in senior leadership search and advisory spanning across different regions, Roy has worked with renowned organizations over his career path. Roy also runs his podcast, ‘In conversation with Roy’ and is also a well-known speaker, panelist, and mentor, sharing his experience with students and professionals in the field alike.
James Douglas Middle East is a premier search firm based in Dubai, with global offices in over 40 countries. With his expertise, Roy leads the firm and has been playing a crucial role in globally expanding its reach.
Early Life And Educational Background
A senior talent strategist in the Middle East for the last 18 years, Sanjeev Pradhan Roy, has been straddling senior engagements on the corporate side with the likes of Galadari Group, EMAAR, and Al Faraa Group, besides his consulting stints, including co-founding a senior leadership search firm in Dubai. Furthermore, Roy has also been catering to the CXO suite journeys and senior leadership hiring and advisory space for the last 25 years now, spanning Asia, APAC, the Middle East, and Europe.
Sharing about his academic endeavors, Sanjeev Pradhan Roy mentions, “I have an MBA from GIM-India, besides an executive education program from Columbia University, USA. Also, I graduated from Hansraj College, Delhi University, in my earlier life with an active student body association, and played football at the national level in School.”
Working as a columnist with Khaleej Times on Worklife, as well, Roy has hosted their business podcast ‘Secret Sauce.’ He further adds, “Besides, I have been hosting my own Leadership Podcast, ‘In conversation with Sanjeev Pradhan Roy,’ for a few years now. I also sit as a part of the Executive Steering Committee of Amity University and am a regular speaker & panelist in HR conferences and symposiums. My love for spraying know-how humbly with the student cohorts has also meant leadership masterclass sessions with leading Universities, including IIMs, Amity University, IMT Ghaziabad Dubai, GIM, Maastricht University Europe, and more.”
More About James Douglas Middle East
Currently, Roy heads up an international search firm called ‘James Douglas Middle East,’ with global associate offices in 40+ countries, specializing in C-suite and leadership hiring. “We are a part of a larger Executive search umbrella – EMA Partners India which recently went the IPO route successfully, arguably as the first executive search firm in Asia. We are foraying into KSA soon, with an office on the ground, catering to our extensive KSA clientele,” Roy explains.
On Being A Successful Leader
Sanjeev Pradhan Roy believes a leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. Sanjeev Pradhan Roy mentions, “Going beyond the various definitions of a leader, the progressive modern leader can ease into being a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Brooming Officer, Chief Fun Officer, and Chief Empathy Officer seamlessly. The financials aside, the intangibles of sustaining a vision, growing a strong leadership team, and making it safe to fail are some of the redeeming attributes of a leader who not only survives but thrives in a rapidly changing business climate and discerning talent talentscape.”
Adaptability Amidst Tech-Driven Transformation
Digital revolution and tech-driven innovations are redefining the way businesses perform. Roy holds that, whilst tech is the pivot around which our core People-Process-Impact engines chug, it is only the enabler and not the outcome. He further adds, “We have embraced tech & AI at every touchpoint of UX, CX, and BX, which translates to a more meaningful RX or revenue experience. From advising Boards and Founders of Tech, AI, or Startup ecosystems, to connecting opportunities to top-tier talents, we take pride in being allies in the newly imagined future ahead.
Besides our search and advisory practice, we also host Executive Roundtable conferences, The last one was themed on Aye Aye to AI, the transformation, blips, and reality checks, which brought in CXOs from different industries and dissected the myths and challenges threadbare. The James Douglas Middle East Leadership Podcast is another endeavor that is coming off the ground this month.”
Words Of Wisdom For Beginners In The Search Industry
From the search industry perspective, an expert like Roy explains that one must differentiate well on the value proposition and the kind of expertise and depth one brings forth, for the clients at large. “There is a clear difference between an A to Z Contingent search, a senior contingent search to a Professional Search firm, and an Executive Retained Search firm; the false masks come off quickly, as they do not stand the scrutiny of evolved clients and talents who would like to invest in an environment of trust and credibility.
As business requirements scale up, there will always be a distinct need for strategic talent matchmakers with an SME approach, deep network & domain knowledge who work as partners with the internal TA teams and hiring heads on the problem statements. One way of internalizing it is when you ask yourself, (courtesy Satya Nadella), are you creating Energy or Clarity, and an honest reflection and action will spell your future outcomes,” Sanjeev Pradhan Roy further shares.
Follow Sanjeev Pradhan Roy on LinkedIn.
Find James Douglas Middle East on LinkedIn and visit their website https://www.jamesdouglas.ae/.
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