To whom it may concern:

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the high level of service the entire team at BMES have rendered in my time as head of executive search and staffing at Apple in Japan, and previously in my role as head of mid-career recruitment at Morgan Stanley Japan. I have long been an advocate of choosing the right search firm for the job--based on track record, ability, and local industry knowledge--rather than relying on a familiar global brand name that might not have any real reach in the Japan market. BMES has consistently tackled very difficult searches for me and worked them relentlessly to completion. At Apple we are particularly ruthless in our search for top talent, and we're probably not the easiest firm to please (in fact, a lot of headhunters give up on our searches). BMES has been able to keep up with our demands, and in the past two years have placed two key executives and several important managers to help guide growth in our billion-dollar-plus operation in the country.

BMES takes an active headhunting approach to executive search, meaning they are constantly cold calling new talent and effectively building a map of the market, rather than relying on the typical, limited "old industry friends and extensive network of contacts" to source talent. If you are looking for a lot of smooth salesmanship, industry buzzwords, and carefully scripted PR pitches, perhaps a fancy global firm would suit your needs. However, if you are interested in actually finding and hiring an executive to increase top and bottom line numbers in Japan, I'd recommend BMES for the job.

Best regards,

Michael J. Case
Manager, Executive Search & Staffing
Apple Japan Inc.