Case Study
Suite of Senior Appointments for a Fresh Start
Recruiting an interim-CEO, permanent CEO, COO, Director of Development, and Chair of Trustees for a struggling national charity
The Challenge
We were approached by a charity that had faced significant reputational and funding challenges. The charity operates in the UK, has an international influence, and a niche mission. The organisation needed to be rebuilt. One board member described it as feeling like “a startup on a brownfield site”.
The first need was for an interim CEO. Over the course of the following three years, permanent CEO was required, followed by two key members of the senior leadership team: a COO and Director of Development. After this, the Chair of the Board stepped down and a successor needed to be found.
The reputational issues posed a significant challenge to attracting the best candidates. The niche mission meant that finding the right people would be a needle-in-a-haystack-style challenge, even without the reputational issues.
Our Approach
We worked with the Board and CEO on each of these appointments. The ongoing relationship we established with the Board meant we had a rich understanding of the charity and its challenges.
Attracting candidates in the face of the reputational issues required much time invested in discussions with potential candidates. But this challenge of these searches was part of the appeal for us. We like to work on searches that require creative thinking, where our impact is clear.
Our Impact
Despite short longlists, was never very long, an appointment was made in each search on the first attempt. It is a joy for us to see this charity now in a far healthier position and going from strength-to-strength. Rebuilding this charity has been a demanding task for all involved. Carnelian was privileged to play a part in this journey, by helping to secure talent across executive and non-executive leadership positions.