Finalist
Software
When Michael Gregoire took over as chairman and CEO of Taleo Corp., he wanted to see better performance.
To do that, he knew the talent management software company couldn’t fall into a trap like competitors where the product cycle was three to seven years. Gregoire developed a technology tenet that focused on Taleo’s software-as-a-service model. The idea was that the software would offer one configuration for products, so as Taleo’s customers grew and desired customization, they wouldn’t need multiple versions of the product to meet their demands.
The concept has given Taleo many advantages. First, it makes it easier and faster for customers to benefit from Taleo’s product innovation. Second, it allows Taleo to constantly enhance its product line with help from customers. Those added advantages have led to profitability that helped Taleo weather the economic downturn.
Gregoire’s innovation has also led to aggressive investments that expanded the company’s product line to include solutions for managing employees. Also, Taleo rolled out a platform worldwide to tap into the industry’s largest collection of customers. The Talent Grid allows customers to drive innovation and growth by collaborating on best practices.
Taleo was busy in 2009. It delivered a suite of new products to the market, reached an all-time high for customer satisfaction, kept up customer renewals and drove growth in profits to stakeholders. Gregoire’s well-planned growth investments have allowed Taleo to become one of only a handful of on-demand businesses that return shareholder profit.
Plans for continual grow and innovation remain in the future. Gregoire developed a three-year plan that invests in the company’s growth along eight axes from product to operations and network. The idea is to place Taleo at the helm of the talent management market and, in turn, put talent management at the front of the company’s business agenda.
How to reach: Taleo Corp., (888) 836-3669 or www.taleo.com
