Case Study
Values-based CEO Appointment for a Family Office
The Challenge
We were asked by the owner-manager of a family business to help recruit a CEO. The business had been run by the family for multiple generations. The new CEO would enable the family to step back from the day-to-day management, and establish a family office function. The appointment represented a significant moment of transition for the family, requiring much reflection and careful planning.
Our Approach
We spent an extended period of time working with the family to shape the role. In addition to understanding the family’s needs, an important challenge was to define the right level of detail. The new CEO was intended to work closely with the family to shape the future, and therefore there were risks in being over-prescriptive and under-prescriptive in the job description.
Carnelian conducted a wide-reaching piece of research which extended beyond the UK, resulting in the identification of 82 potential candidates. We approached approximately half of these for an initial conversation, and pursued in-depth conversations with 14.
The uniqueness of the role was a great help in attracting candidates, but also a challenge. With no well-trodden route to the position, much careful thought and lateral thinking was required.
Our Impact
We presented a longlist of seven candidates to the family and supported them through an interview process. Since relational chemistry is crucial to an appointment like this, after the preferred candidate was identified, there was a further period of shaping the role in conversation with the incoming CEO.
Overall, the search took approximately six months, and an excellent candidate was appointed.