HONG Kong's oldest headhunting firm, Boyden International, yesterday became the first in China by opening a Shanghai office.
The firm also aims to have a Beijing office by the end of the year.
Boyden has been hunting out executives to spearhead multinational operations in China for about 10 years. The mainland office will work for international companies that want local Chinese executives.
Boyden's Hong Kong managing director Glendon Rowell said demand was growing for highly skilled people in China.
''More and more searches are demanding a higher skill level and greater expertise - a particular type of person - as multinational companies come to tap into the tremendous growth taking place in China,'' he said.
Companies increasingly want two particular types of people: the ''pioneer'' who can set up operations, sometimes from scratch, in China; and managers to oversee the business while working out strategy and growth plans.