Connecting with Angela Caine

At first glance, Angela Caine is an influential piece of the Blackshaw Partners organization. While her influence on Blackshaw Partners’ success cannot be understated, she is also a multi-faceted, bilingual entrepreneur with a law degree under her belt, bringing a unique perspective and immeasurable experience to the Blackshaw team.

Angela is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama. Her studies also included comparative law at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, undergraduate studies at the University of Regensburg, Germany and tax law at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. She has accumulated multiple awards including “Best in Bar” for immigration law along with numerous awards for trial skills and advocacy during her time in law school.

Prior to completing law school, Angela worked in Washington, D.C., for U.S. Senator H. John Heinz (R-Pa.) in the office of the Press Secretary. Angela also served as co-chair for the Alabama Lt. Governor’s task force on aviation/aerospace where she developed specific industry knowledge in both aerospace and space.

We asked Angela Grace Caine some questions to find out how she fits into the Blackshaw Partners puzzle:

Tell us about your experience. How/where did you start?

Angela: I started doing [executive] search in 2012 when I realized that a lot of German companies who were relocating to the US and opening up operations there did not have a strong “team building” strategy. They faced a lot of challenges with getting started with manufacturing in the southeast USA and building a solid workforce from our diverse labor pool was pretty daunting.

How long have you been doing retained executive search?

Angela: I started in 2012 working for Porsche Consulting, Lufthansa Technik and an automotive supplier called Grammer AG. I also continued to do a lot of public speaking and executive coaching as well as search. I believe recruiting, coaching and speaking are very complementary services.

While I work mostly in the automotive and aerospace manufacturing space, I also have experience in alternative energy, advanced manufacturing, IoT and now tech startups.

How do you think your bicultural character has helped influence your personal experience as an executive recruiter?

Angela: My mom is from Germany and my dad is from Alabama so I am an “expert” in how these two cultures interact with one another—or don’t. I have also lived and traveled extensively between the southeast United States and Germany and kept an office in Berlin for eight years.

This cultural expertise has helped me understand how workforces— which can look and act very differently—can come together to build something amazing! Our differences can make for major assets, particularly in manufacturing.

Are there major differences with the way foreign companies operate and staff when compared to US companies?

Angela: Yes. Foreign companies tend to recruit from within while US companies tend to hire outside talent for their top positions. I have seen both models work very successfully, but the strategies are very different.

For example: Most German manufacturing companies start their operations with lots of engineers. These individuals come [from abroad] for about three years and then often return home. At Blackshaw Partners, our goal is to help organizations like those find great American management that can fulfill the company’s US initiatives and build a truly “American” organization. In one search, I helped a company based in Bavaria find and hire seven top managers for their plant in Tupelo, Mississippi.

The cultures, workforce, and US legal system are very different than those found in Europe. Having both a legal background, as well as personnel and economic development expertise, has allowed me to provide a full range of services to my clients. I am also frequently asked to speak with and coach new companies as they grow in the US.

How has business changed since the onset of COVID?

Angela: COVID has definitely changed a lot of things but there have been some interesting new developments in terms of executive search. It used to be that a lot of my executives flew back and forth to Europe every two or three weeks to have meetings with their boards of directors. This was very hard on the employee and on their family.

Lockdown orders and travel restrictions have caused many of my clients to re-evaluate the necessity of so much travel and even to restructure their organizations to operate remotely whenever possible. This also helped me be able to recruit more globally for various positions as managers would conduct all interviews via videoconference.

I think the pandemic opened everyone’s eyes to gaps in infrastructure and ways we could improve our performance or streamline processes. One example being the necessity of so much travel when virtual conferencing is often just as productive and saves both time and money.

How has executive recruitment evolved since you have joined the industry?

Angela: When I first started in recruiting, LinkedIn was making a big play for search. Their message was definitely one of “you don’t need expensive executive recruiters when you have LinkedIn to do it for you.” This did not exactly turn out to be true.

Businesses learned how to use technology but not how to perfectly replace executive recruiters. At this stage of executive search and recruiting, I think there is a good balance between technology and humans that ultimately helps both the company and the candidate. In addition, I believe the pandemic helped shape my industry into one that is more agile than ever before. It will only continue to grow stronger in the face of future adversity.

What suggestions can you give foreign-turned-US companies that may be in need of staffing in the coming years?

Angela: Easy! Definitely invest in my workforce coaching! (laughs)

I think foreign companies need to try and understand the US workforce and legal system because they can both be very challenging. Maintaining high levels of both product quality and workplace safety does not have to keep executives up at night. Hire some good expertise and then work with them to develop a solid plan for hiring, training and on-boarding a world-class workforce. It is a continuing process but one that is definitely worth investing in.

Angela Caine brings so much to the Blackshaw Partners’ team as an expert in the international business arena. Angela focuses her work on executive search, support, coaching and advising and has been working with inbound international investment in the entire southeastern United States. She brings a unique, worldly perspective which, along with her personality itself, is a breath of fresh air.

Connect with Blackshaw Partners and Angela today to learn more about their unique approach to executive search. Angela@blackshawpartners.com and (205) 249-1694.