The challenge
After more than twenty years of stable leadership, the charity had recruited a permanent successor independently. Eighteen months later, that appointment ended, leaving the organisation facing operational and leadership challenges. Staff engagement had declined and the Board lacked the assurance needed to lead the charity into its next chapter.
The complexity
The brief appeared extremely challenging. A relatively small charity with limited resources, the organisation initially questioned whether engaging a search specialist represented good value. The Board also believed a locally based leader with regional healthcare and charity experience would be essential.
- Living within the North West
- Previous Chief Executive or executive-level experience
- An understanding of healthcare
- Experience within a smaller charity
- Availability three days per week
- A salary of approximately £60,000 pro rata
Oakmyre’s approach
We began by working closely with the Chair and Trustees to understand the organisation’s challenges, ensuring the appointment focused not on replacing the previous Chief Executive but on providing the leadership required for recovery. A targeted search combined proactive networking with carefully focused advertising across the North West, with regular, honest communication maintaining board confidence throughout.
The outcome
All three shortlisted candidates met the client’s key requirements, demonstrating that a highly specific brief could still produce genuine choice. A locally based interim Chief Executive with the experience required to stabilise the organisation accepted the role. The Chair praised the quality of the search and acknowledged that engaging a specialist had exceeded expectations.
Key learning
- Recovery requires different leadership: the experience needed to stabilise an organisation is not always the experience needed to lead its long-term future.
- Honest conversations build trust: being open with candidates and clients creates realistic expectations and stronger appointments.
- Specific briefs require targeted search: the more focused the requirements, the greater the value of proactive search.
- Recruitment is about solving organisational challenges, not simply replacing the previous postholder.