Michael Bryan

Michael Bryan
Vice President Enterprise Data Management, Hilton Worldwide

A Sticky Wicket

Michael Bryan was a Senior Vice President at The Nielsen Company, a global authority in market research information and software.  In 2006, Nielsen was taken private by a consortium of private equity firms who set a multiyear strategy to integrate Nielsen’s 83 business units.  Michael was retained for three years to integrate products, operations and technologies as the corporation restructured.  At the completion of his retention agreement, and of his tenure with Nielsen, Michael embarked on a selective job search.

Michael had more than twenty years of experience advancing in IT management.  His background included consulting, financial services, telecommunications and research.  He was particularly recognized for his work in data management including analytics, architecture and compliance.

For more than 2 years, Michael pursued rare leads with long decision cycles, little transparency and intense competition.  Public openings were, according to Michael, futile.  Contingent search led to poor fit and long distance relocation.  And although multiple retained search firms presented his resume, he found that even those insiders had resorted to long slates, low influence and no advocacy.

Impressed with Summit Executive Resources' professional network and personal attention to client advocacy, Michael met with Melissa Henderson to discuss the obstacles in his protracted search. In early 2011, Michael retained Summit to help him secure his next ideal role.

Developing a Brand

Summit conducted thorough assessments and held very collaborative meetings with Michael to identify his value proposition against the profile of the sort of company he would most like to work with.  With Summit, Michael had a team with whom he could share ideas, share incremental lessons learned and brainstorm on strategies.  Summit got Michael pumped and primed for the next interview systematically and relentlessly brought forth new opportunities.
Summit quickly observed three critical complications:

• With functional and industry breadth, Michael had diluted his target companies from dozens to several hundred.
• Following interviews, he had difficulty receiving feedback. 
• Through his network, he was not getting to the right people.

To further hone Michael's ideal company target list, Summit profiled market segments that interested him the most and that provided the best opportunity given Michael's recent, relevant experience. Then, Summit identified a list of companies that fit the target profile and where Michael's ideal role might exist. After further due diligence, Summit identified key decision makers within the companies and mounted a rigorous campaign to present Michael and help him gain access to the right people.

Summit revised his targeting and crossed industries for companies that fit themes in his experience.  Each target was tracked over a life cycle from identification to close.  Every engagement included a full circle for feedback on the impression he was making.

Shortening the Long Haul

In October, as Summit and Michael were balancing several competitive opportunities, a role at Hilton Worldwide surfaced.  The role was an excellent fit, but the position was broadcast over multiple listing sites, and Hilton had three full time recruiters reviewing candidate applications.  Summit used their connections with Hilton’s leadership to immediately get Michael in front of the hiring manager.  They worked directly with Hilton to maintain urgency and set compensation expectations.

By November, Michael had four successful interviews and received an offer for the role. Michael now leads Enterprise Data Management for Hilton Worldwide.