Following a series of high-profile leadership issues, scrutiny increased around the board’s composition, governance and its ability to deliver against a more demanding, performance-driven agenda.
A newly appointed Executive Chair quickly identified that the board needed a more diverse component to improve it effectiveness.
There was no human resources or People & Culture expertise at Board level, a lack of female representation, and limited visibility of the organisational factors driving performance behind the numbers.
As the business entered a more transitional phase, the need for stronger oversight of talent, leadership and culture became critical. The board needed someone who understood how organisations perform under pressure, how to lead and embed change, retain critical talent, and build a leadership team capable of delivering against an accelerated agenda.
The requirement was for a board-level advisor who could bring commercial insight into people, culture and organisational effectiveness, put the voice of HR into the boardroom and introduce a more rigorous, informed perspective into board discussions.
We worked closely with the Chair, Mark Hammond, to redefine the brief around what the board needed to deliver, rather than relying on traditional criteria or prior board experience.
This shifted the focus towards individuals who had led through comparable commercial and organisational challenges and could contribute immediately at board level.
The role attracted high-calibre individuals who were motivated by the organisation’s direction and the opportunity to contribute to its next phase.
We conducted a targeted search prioritising depth of HR leadership experience, diversity of perspective, and the ability to operate with credibility and influence in a board environment.
A standout appointment introduced critical HR expertise at board level, strengthened female representation, and brought a fresh perspective at a point when the business was evolving its operations and governance.
More importantly, the appointment strengthened the board’s ability to challenge and support the executive team on talent, leadership and organisational performance – areas that were increasingly central to value creation.
The search delivered on its core objective, creating a more balanced, commercially aligned and forward-looking board, better equipped to manage risk, drive performance, and deliver against the company’s next stage under private equity ownership.
