Geographic diversity naturally results in talent diversity. As the company extends its reach to various regions in China, it needs to have people who understand every corner of the nation. Dow currently has nearly 3,500 employees and plans to add another 1,000 people over the next few years.

"I expect the increased workforce will be spread across different parts of China to take advantage of the new growth fundamentals there," said Sykes.

It's important that the company has a diversity of personality, a diversity of people who may have different life objectives in terms of where they would like to live and grow and where they would like to raise their future families, according to the president.

"We are aware that the family unit in China is very strong, so we need to create an organization that has enough flexibility and mobility to give people opportunities," said Sykes. Sykes himself is a person with high flexibility and a deep respect for family.

After joining Dow in London in 1981, Sykes, a British citizen, has since held a number of financial and management positions in various fields, including sales, marketing, finance, engineering, commerce, and corporate management in North America, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand.

Over his 30-year career at Dow, more than 20 years have been spent in Asia. He brings his family with him when he moves.

"The thing that I value most is clearly my family, no question, number one," he said. Sykes married Trisha, who is Malaysian Chinese, and they have two children - Gemma, aged 13, and Henry, 12. Both currently attend the Shanghai American School.

While, as a corporate executive, Sykes understands that not everyone will be 100 percent flexible and mobile, the company needs to plan for that and have a system that can accomplish all of these objectives.

"I think diversifying the talent pool through diversifying the way we direct our hiring is an important aspect. Academic capability and professional capability are very important considerations, but not the only considerations. Personality, the mindset of the individual, bringing different experiences to the table, and bringing different knowledge must also be taken into account," he said.

According to the 2011 AmCham-China Business Climate Survey released by the American Chamber of Commerce in China in March, the difficulties in attracting, developing and retaining skilled workers, professionals and managers is one of the top five challenges US companies face in China.

A survey conducted by international human resources provider Manpower Inc released in July shows that 24 percent of companies doing business on the Chinese mainland face a shortage of talent. The most needed jobs are technicians, engineers and sales.

The survey covered 4,241 enterprises, involving foreign, State-owned and Chinese private companies.

Sykes explained Dow's talent strategy in China is about giving freedom - no fixed working hours - while requiring a sense of responsibility. "You are a responsible person. We don't want to treat you like you are a 6-year-old school child. We aren't running a kindergarten and we aren't running a jail either," he said.

"I believe that for young people in China to be given this kind of freedom, to be given this kind of trust, to be given all of the different kind of tools to learn (is a good thing)," he said.

Ronnie Chen, human resources director of Dow Greater China, said Sykes "has a more important job - an HR partner", who vigorously supports people and is passionate about developing talent.

Life diversity

"He is passionate because he has put so much energy and focus into what he does every day over 30 years of working for Dow. By the way, 30 years at Dow does not necessarily mean he is old," said Ross Ma, public affairs director of Dow Greater China, adding that Sykes' energy may have something to do with his love of sports - soccer, skiing and motor racing.

Sykes exercises in the gym at the company's headquarters when not traveling.

He believes in some sense sports and business management fit together quite well. "I think from a business standpoint, whether you are driving a fast car, or skiing fast down a hill, you have to have the right equipment, you have to have a course or a path you are following, you have to be aware of the risks around you, and you have to have a general confidence in your abilities, but also some ability to take some evasive action if an unexpected situation develops," he said.

Foreign chemical giants are accused by some environmental organizations in China of moving their manufacturing facilities to developing nations, including China, as a means of shifting pollution from their previous locations.

"I believe that the focus of growth is definitely shifting to the developing nations, but I believe that's due to the size of the economic opportunity and the demand growth in those territories. I don't think the industry as a whole is moving from one area to another to avoid pollution in one place and create it somewhere else," Sykes said.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd forecast that China is to overtake the United States as the world's largest chemical market by the end of 2011.

Sales of the industry exceeded $900 billion in China last year, accounting for 15 percent of the world as a whole. China is also very active in chemical trading with exports increasing 70 percent and imports surging 50 percent since 2000.

Tim Hanley, chemicals sector leader of Deloitte Global Manufacturing Industry, said that the key growth driver for the Chinese chemical industry is the rapid rise of the Chinese economy and high demand for chemical materials from the automotive, construction, textile, packaging, agriculture and other end-user industries in the country.

However, pollution and high-energy consumption are problems facing China's chemical industry. The energy consumption for each unit of Chinese chemical output is now just over four times that of the US and six times that of Japan, prompting Chinese chemical companies to invest more in energy-saving technologies and the use of low-emission production equipment, Hanley was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying.

Hanley suggested product upgrading, technology renovation and industrial consolidation as the way ahead.

Sykes said that Dow can contribute on this issue, given the company's globally advanced technologies and cooperation with upstream and downstream enterprises.

Ma said that Sykes is determined and is able to drive the business and make things happen. "He is never complacent or satisfied, which sometimes drives me nuts," he said.

Sykes prefers four words to describe his personality - energetic, positive, demanding and impatient.

China Daily

(China Daily 11/24/2011 page14)