A search firm to recruit the next general manager of the Steamship Authority has been selected.
At a Tuesday morning meeting, members of the Steamship Authority general manager search committee unanimously chose Faststream Recruitment Group, a firm based in the U.K., from a group of four finalists.
“I thought they were solid, experienced, and they had done their homework,” said committee member Jim Malkin, who also serves as the Martha’s Vineyard representative on the Steamship Authority board. “We need, I think, as wide a net as we can spread to find this right candidate.”
Other firms under consideration included Florida-based Flagship Management, and Frank Jay and Associates from Texas. Committee members gave points to Faststream for having a representative focused on the U.S. market, and a wide network to tap.
Malkin has been pushing for a global search in hiring the next general manager since Robert Davis, the current general manager, announced in September he would be stepping down from the position.
He wasn’t alone in underscoring the importance of the role.
“We can’t afford to make a mistake,” said Nathaniel Lowell, committee member and the Nantucket Port Council representative. “We’re better off not having anybody than having the wrong person.”
Robert Jones, committee member and Barnstable Steamship Authority board representative, relayed some of the difficulties that the search firms noted in attracting candidates to the ferry line, including pay, state open-meeting-law requirements, and housing.
The ferry officials interviewed a total of four firms last month.
A close second place was Flagship Management, a company that has previously worked with the Steamship Authority.
While the committee members spoke highly of Flagship Management, there was a consensus that they wanted to bring in fresh eyes to broaden the Steamship hiring search. Malkin also noted that while Flagship is based in the U.S., he was concerned that it was a specialized hiring firm, which he says usually has a Rolodex of “superstars.”
“They place people, the people work for several years, and when a new job opportunity comes up that suits that person … they may recruit them away. That’s how they keep their revenue streams going,” Malkin said. “I’m concerned about Flagship in that aspect, as well as being so specific to our industry, our area, that we may miss out on some really solid people who would serve the Steamship well.”
Frank Jay and Associates from Texas, a firm focused on recruiting for the aviation and aerospace industries, was swiftly eliminated as an option because of its lower experience with the maritime industry, while Stonefort Marine Talent from the U.K. was dropped because of its lack of U.S. hiring experience.
The search for the next general manager has been a top ferry priority for many Islanders, including the recently formed SSA Citizen’s Action Group.
Margaret Hannemann, a founding member of the group, said it was pleased with the selection of Faststream. She said the search committee’s decision seemed “deliberate,” not rushed. She also appreciated the effort to get “broader input” in the hiring process.
Still, Hannemann said, the steering committee wants to see a member of the public be involved with the search committee’s efforts, something the search committee supported bringing to the Steamship board, but has not done yet.
“We are certainly encouraging them to do that, because we think it’ll be very important to making it … a more open process,” Hannemann said.
In its next steps, Faststream will need to consider the various needs and roles of the Steamship Authority and the conditions of the region, alongside the specifications in the general manager job description, to find the ferry line’s next head.
Faststream still needs approval from the Steamship Authority board, whose next meeting is scheduled for March 18.
