1. Chief Executive, Adoption UK
Background:
Adoption UK is a national charity providing support, information, advice and training to prospective adopters, adoptive families and long-term foster carers. Founded in 1971, Adoption UK has a membership of about 5,000 families and prospective families, including those with experience of all kinds of adoption. Established as a self-help membership organisation for adopters, Adoption UK remains true to its roots through continuing to provide services for adopters by adopters. It also helps adoption agencies find families for the children in their care through its Children Who Wait magazine and online family-finding service.
The Challenge:
Our challenge was to find a new Chief Executive at a time of major policy and practice change within the adoption system. This political change had the potential to create new opportunities and challenges for all organisations working within the adoption and fostering sector. Adoption UK was closely involved in these developments and the new Chief Executive would need to immediately work with the government on the implementation of its plans to reform the adoption system, as well as identifying and seizing business opportunities for the charity.
Implementing the search:
closely with Adoption UK, Prospectus devised a search strategy that targeted candidates in the adoption and fostering sector within the corporate, public and civil society sectors. Alongside our search, we utilised networks and contacts to permeate the adoption and fostering sector. We also ran an online, targeted media campaign.
Our long-list of nine candidates included those from all three sectors working within the adoption and fostering sector. Following initial interviews with the Prospectus consultant, four candidates were presented to the client for panel interviews. The candidates were also required to make presentations, meet with the senior management team and host a media interview. An appointment was successfully made on the day.
The Appointment:
Adoption UK recruited Hugh Thornbery as their Chief Executive to start in October 2012. Hugh had extensive experience in the adoption and fostering field, both at a strategic and operational level, having worked within children’s services for 30 years. He had led relationships with government ministers, civil servants and government departments for a national children’s charity relating to adoption and fostering issues. He had already helped to shape adoption and fostering policy and would bring these skills and relationships to ensure Adoption UK were able to influence key policy makers. Hugh also had the strong media experience needed for the external facing side of the role and the solid strategic and financial experience needed to run the organisation.
"We chose Prospectus to assist in our recruitment of a CEO as they, unlike others we met, took time to listen to us as a client first to gain an understanding of our specific requirements before proposing a search approach. This understanding of our organisation meant that they represented us very effectively to a broad spectrum of prospective candidates. They worked very quickly in meeting the very tight timescale required and we successfully offered on the due date." - Robert Duthie, Trustee and Chair of HR Committee, Adoption UK
To find out more about any of our services, or for an informal discussion, please email Borge Andreassen, Head of Executive Recruitment. Alternatively, you can contact him on 020 7691 1920.
2. Chief Operating Officer - Refugee Council
Background:
Founded in 1951, the Refugee Council is the leading charity in the UK working with asylum seekers and refugees. They directly help and support asylum seekers and refugees to ensure their needs and concerns are addressed, as well campaigning and lobbying to raise the profile of asylum seekers and refugees at a strategic level.
Practically the Refugee Council does this through:
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supporting refugees and working with them as they build a new life
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speaking up for refugees and ensuring that refugees themselves have a strong voice in all areas of UK life
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building links with people from across our society to increase mutual understanding of refugees making the case for a fair and just asylum system
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taking a leading role in helping to build up a vibrant, sustainable and successful refugee sector in the UK and internationally
Following significant organisational changes and redundancies in 2011, the post of Chief Operating Officer (COO) was created to drive the continued improvement of service delivery and bring organisational cohesion across the charity. The COO would also lead on performance management and organisational development for the Refugee Council.
Implementing the Search:
Already a senior executive, the COO needed to have excellent operational and strategic leadership skills, significant change management experience, strong empathy for the cause of refugees and asylum seekers and the ability to work successfully in a culturally diverse organisation.
To source a diverse field of candidates Prospectus worked closely with the client to identify target organisations and individuals to be approached about the role. To complement the executive search, online adverts were placed in relevant media, and a further search was conducted on the Prospectus candidate database. From a total of ninety applications, ten were longlisted and assessed by Prospectus, and a shortlist of 5 interviewed by the Refugee Council. The shortlisted candidates came from a variety of backgrounds, including 2 with a track record solely within the civil society sector, 1 from the public sector and 2 with a background in financial services focusing on global investment operations, before making the transition to the civil society sector.
The Appointment:
The Refugee Council appointed Deborah Harris. Deborah brought significant experience from the banking sector, working in a range of roles managing strategic and structural change with extensive project management experience, gained in both the UK and internationally. Following her banking career, Deborah’s first transition into the civil society sector was with Save the Children.
“What we all really liked about Prospectus was (i) they seemed genuinely interested in the Refugee Council and helping us to clarify and find the person we were looking for. (ii) The consultants took a lot of time to get to know the organisation. This included several face-to-face meetings with senior staff, a visit to our Children’s Section to observe client work and telephone calls with staff who were managing discrete projects in different parts of the country and telephone conversations with key Board members (Chair and Treasurer).
The service we received remained consistent, up to date and informed, and very professional. At the Tender meeting the Prospectus Team’s style was professional, knowledgeable, reassuring and personable in a way that made us believe they genuinely wanted to work with us, that they found the project and the Refugee Council interesting and we weren’t just a number.” - Christine De Grasse, HR Director, Refugee Council
To find out more about any of our services, or for an informal discussion, please email Borge Andreassen, Head of Executive Recruitment. Alternatively, you can contact him on 020 7691 1920.
3. Chair, Unicorn Theatre
Background:
Based at London’s South Bank, the Unicorn is a leading professional theatre for young audiences, with an international reputation for artistic excellence. Appointing a new Chair was a crucial step in the Unicorn’s development, as it grew to become the national theatre for children in the UK.
Our team were briefed to find candidates with a real passion for the theatre and the role art can play in young people’s lives. Equally importantly, the Theatre needed a Chair who could act as an ambassador for their work, and provide genuinely inclusive leadership to the Board.
Implementing the search:
Working closely with our client, our consultants developed a search strategy focusing on potential candidates in the arts, education and commercial sectors. Our team’s research, combined with our access to extensive networks, allowed us to approach a large number of relevant individuals. Simultaneously, our Advertising team created a strategic, high-impact candidate acquisition campaign in the Sunday Times, Financial Times and Guardian.
Our consultants drew up a longlist of six candidates from these sources, of which two were presented to the client. One candidate had extensive experience in the arts and foundation sector, with a personal interest in theatre, and the other had previously been the chair of a well-known arts organisation. Throughout the recruitment process, our consultants maintained constant contact with the client and all candidates, responding quickly and effectively to the needs of both.
The Appointment:
The recruitment process culminated in the appointment of Joanna Kennedy. Joanna stood out because of her proven leadership abilities, her passion for theatre and young people, and her extensive governance experience.
"Prospectus engaged in this task with total commitment and verve. I thought the research into our ethos, organisation and needs was thorough. I felt confident that every approach was handled sensitively, intelligently and appropriately. It was as though Prospectus was an elegant, professional and suitably demanding extension of our own company" - Tony Graham, Chief Executive, Unicorn Theatre
Click here to see the creative campaign we ran for this recruitment.
