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eport: Institute of Certified Consultants UN (ICCUN)

Citing exceptional employees as the key to their success, fast-growth CEOs admit that finding, hiring and retaining qualified employees is their biggest operational challenge. This is a key reason why they are tapping overseas markets for talent, a trend that will increase over the next five years, according to Deloitte's 2007 CEO Survey of the fastest growing companies in North America as ranked on Deloitte's 2006 Technology Fast 500. At the same time, these CEOs are shying away from doing business outside of North America.

The survey was conducted during the first quarter of 2007 by Deloitte's Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Group. Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 is an annual ranking of the fastest growing technology companies in North America based on percentage of fiscal year revenue growth over five years.

"It's not unexpected that CEOs of fast-growth companies would look offshore for the talent they need to continue growing in a tight market," said Tony Kern, managing principal of Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 program. "What is counter-intuitive is that CEOs' interest in selling to overseas markets is waning, with more than three-quarters of CEOs saying North America represents the best opportunity for significant growth over the next five years. Their interest in Asia Pacific dropped by half to 10 percent from last year - possibly due to intellectual property protection issues."

Employees Contribute Most to Company Growth; Attracting Talent Remains Biggest Operational Challenge