The challenge
The Chief Executive Officer and Director of Operations appointments would establish the organisation’s senior leadership team and shape its future direction. Beyond identifying capable candidates, the process needed leaders who could build credibility quickly, work collaboratively across the wider health system and establish board confidence from day one.
The complexity
The appointments were overseen by the Chair alongside two external partners, with multiple stakeholders holding different views on the leader the organisation required. Rather than working from an existing brief, Oakmyre worked alongside the organisation to shape both the job and person specifications, ensuring stakeholders were aligned before the search began, all while the wider healthcare landscape was undergoing significant change.
Oakmyre’s approach
Rather than relying on advertising, Oakmyre undertook a targeted search, proactively approaching senior leaders through established relationships and sector knowledge. A bespoke process was designed around the organisation. One of the most successful elements was an engagement event held before formal interviews, giving candidates the chance to meet system partners and make genuinely informed decisions.
The outcome
Both executive appointments were made successfully within eight weeks, with notice periods negotiated to enable both leaders to join within six weeks. Both remain in post and continue to make a significant contribution, providing the foundation for the organisation’s next phase of development.
Key learning
- Successful executive appointments begin before the search, through stakeholder alignment and defining success.
- Candidate experience matters: giving candidates a chance to understand the organisation creates confidence and better decisions.
- Executive search is about relationships, not transactions.
- Leadership appointments shape organisational success for years to come.