Do we have the best people managing our paper chemicals businesses - paper chemicals or pickles?

Much has been written by the management gurus on what it takes to be a good leader of a business, but recently there was a study in which the top 32 business executives of the FTSE 100 companies were asked to list the essential qualities of a good senior manager. Three were highlighted:

• Experience of senior management
• Five years in the post
• Experience of the sector in question

How do the leaders of our paper chemical businesses stack up? There were times when a certain management school tried to convince their students that if you could run a pickle factory you could run any other business! There are certainly some paper chemical businesses headed by 'pickle-factory-manager-types', others at least score something in the three criteria listed above, but what is of most concern is the last criteria - experience of the sector in question.

There are some paper chemical companies which have repeatedly brought in new people who have zero experience of the business as if a fresh, ignorant start, would somehow improve things. In good times things trundle along, but when we hit periods such as now, when experience of the paper chemicals business is essential, they start to waver.

How does your company stack up? Paper chemicals or pickles?