Chair
Youth Music are a vibrant, remarkable and impactful charity, powering the grassroots infrastructure with their investment, insights and influence. This is founded on their belief that every young person, from 0–25-year-olds, should have the chance to make, learn and earn in music. They know that many can’t because of inequalities they face, brought into sharp focus in these challenging times and exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.
The successful candidate needed to be a strategic, empowering, and inclusive leader with a commitment to Youth Music’s values and purpose. We were mandated to find a skilled and tenacious ambassador who could support and build the charity’s profile and fundraising, bringing credibility with high level decision makers and equally with young people. They had to have an acute understanding of the issues facing young people and share the determination to remove barriers to progress young people’s diverse music-making and career aspirations.
Youth Music pride themselves on changing the face of governance and welcomed applications from strong leaders who were looking for their first board/chair role and it was essential that candidates were committed to EDI and the mission of the charity.
We attracted 19 applications and a shortlist of 6 candidates from diverse backgrounds across Commercial and Not for profit organisations. Ultimately Charlotte Edgeworth from Sony Music and Isaac Borquaye, (Guvna B) Triple MOBO Award winner and best-selling author were appointed as Co-Chairs bringing an exciting combination of experience including EDI, Youth development, social impact, music and social justice.
“The team from Prospectus were great to work with for our recent Chair recruitment. From the outset, Jane, Sam and Lottie had a thorough grasp of the brief and what we were seeking to achieve. They were insightful, organised and energetic throughout the whole process, which helped to secure an exciting outcome. Perhaps most importantly, they shared our priority to recruit inclusively to ensure candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds and lived experiences were approached in the search process. This fresh perspective aligned with our thinking and I have no hesitation in recommending them“.
– Matt Griffiths, Chief Executive Officer, Youth Music