Kingdom Bank is a Christian bank, aiming to use money for good and to build God’s Kingdom. When we first started talking to Kingdom Bank, the organisation was facing a significant and exciting time of transition. The new owners had ambitious growth plans and the existing Chief Executive was due to retire in the coming months. We were excited to be invited by the Board to work with them to identify the new Chief Executive.

We sought a candidate with significant experience as a financial services leader, with a track-record of leading growth, who would also share the vision of the new owners and provide spiritual leadership to the organisation. The theological and cultural fit would be crucial to get right.

The Carnelian team conducted a two-month research period. During this time, we surveyed 71 candidates and conduced in depth interviews with 16.

On the face of it, the successful candidate was a surprise because he did not have a banking background. But the Board were impressed with his vision and tremendous leadership and business development skills.

We have subsequently worked with the new CEO of Kingdom Bank to appoint a crucial member of the bank’s leadership team: the Chief Risk Officer. This turned out to be a needle in a haystack type search and therefore needed a very different approach to the research. A particular challenge was the need for the successful candidate to receive regulatory approval. Through a comprehensive research project, the Carnelian team demonstrated that only one candidate existed who would fit all the requirements of the role. We attracted this candidate to the role and he was successfully appointed.

Allan and the Carnelian team have been hugely valuable to Kingdom Bank in filling two key leadership positions.  They took the time to understand our peculiar regulatory needs, they left no stone unturned in identifying all potential candidates, they provided all the support we had hoped for, and communication was excellent throughout the process.  Overall, we felt that we were working with like-minded partners who were also the experts we needed to get the job done – a reassuring and successful combination.

– Paul Houghton, CEO Kingdom Bank