Multicultural, cross-functional program arms candidates with core skills to succeed as tomorrow’s leaders 

CROWN Europe, a division of Crown Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCK) (Crown) (www.crowncork.com), a leading supplier of metal packaging products worldwide, has launched a leadership initiative to train qualified engineers for its operational leadership positions of tomorrow. Designed to identify, recruit and train candidates that possess key foundational skills, the FORWARD initiative exposes participants to
assignments that span countries and disciplines over a 24 to 36 month period.

“Crown has become synonymous with a high level of product quality and customer service,” says Sjoerd-Jaap Schaaf, HRD Recruiting, Succession Planning & Functional Support at CROWN Europe. “From our perspective, the best way to consistently meet those expectations today and into the future is to arm promising candidates with the skills to succeed in jobs before they have to perform them. Taking this proactive approach will result in long-term stability for our customers and give us the agility we need as a business as we continue to expand the technologies and services we deliver to the marketplace.”

More than 250 candidates applied for the inaugural program cycle. Sixteen of those applicants were invited to a recruitment day in Paris where they were assessed in areas ranging from leadership and motivational skills to problem solving and adaptability to change. The field was narrowed to a final group of eight, with participants hailing from across Europe, representing France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Each participant will be given three assignments in at least two countries and be exposed to at least two operations departments including continuous improvement, quality, manufacturing and engineering. Throughout the program, a mentor and local “buddies” will help participants adapt to new roles and environments. Crown will work with each candidate as they complete their rotation to select a permanent destination based on fit and open opportunities.

Four additional candidates from the recruitment day were offered other full-time positions at Crown.

“I just finished a two year international exchange program at Crown’s R&D facility in Wantage, UK, and I am extremely honored to have been selected for this program,” comments Sophie Grincourt, an industrial engineer from France. “I appreciate the opportunity to hone my existing skills and be exposed to other practice areas that will give me a well-rounded view of the business and put me on a path to leadership in the future.”

Recruitment for the second program cycle, slated for Spring 2017, will begin in December 2016. Prospective candidates can apply via the Careers section of Crown’s website. The opportunity will also be promoted via Crown’s LinkedIn company page.