Director of People
Thames Reach’s vision is of a society where street homelessness is ended and nobody need sleep rough on the streets. They aim to help homeless and vulnerable men and women to find decent homes, build supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives through the provision of a range of response, prevention, recovery and training services.
As an organisation whose reputation depends on the quality of the people who deliver their services – both staff and volunteers – Thames Reach were looking for a Director of People to develop and deliver the People Strategy, in line with the organisational strategy, transforming the People directorate in to a proactive business support function.
Prospectus were engaged to conduct an Executive Search to identify suitable candidates with a collaborative approach to work, able to identify and implement new ways of working, and bring experience of successfully developing and delivering strategies encompassing L&D, employee relations, recruitment, volunteering and in increasing diversity.
We attracted a strong longlist of 12 candidates, from a range of backgrounds and sectors. Ultimately, Thames Reach were delighted to appoint Joanna Mark-Richards, a pragmatic and commercially astute Human Resources Director with extensive experience in strategic and operational roles. Most recently she was Head of People and Wellbeing at The Complete Education Solution (TCES) an independent, family-owned group of Outstanding and Good schools and services for neurodiverse pupils.