GatenbySanderson appointed to recruit eight Local Government Chief Executives

29th May 2008

Following a competitive pitch in each instance, we have been appointed to oversee the search and selection process for the appointment of eight Chief Executive positions, four of these being to newly created Unitary Authorities in England.

The four Chief Executive positions in the new Unitary Authorities are in Northumberland, Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester and Cornwall. For each position, the job specifications require exceptional individuals with experience of both managing change and starting up new organisations; but the differing geographical, political and social demographic makeup of each of the new authorities means that there are subtle but significant differences in the type of person required for each role. 

Graham Goodwin, founder and Managing Partner of GatenbySanderson, has an impressive record of appointing to Chief Executive level, including posts in numerous London Boroughs and county councils. Graham believes that the skills required to be Chief Executive of a Unitary Authority are such the appointed individuals will take the recognised role to a new level. He said, “We are delighted to have secured these challenging, high profile roles within Local Government. In a time of change, it is very rewarding to be involved in shaping these new organisations.” 

“The process to finding the right candidate is as important as the result itself. These assignments allow us to use all of our skills – our search expertise, people and political intelligence, an innovative approach to putting candidates first and our assessment capability that ensure we both find the right people and manage the projects effectively.” 

The search and selection process for some of the new roles is underway, with several of the new Unitary Authorities being recruited for having held their first elections on May 1st. This adds to an already complex process, though the ultimate goal of finding the most suitably skilled and able person for each job remains unaltered.  

Jan Burns of Cheshire who is overseeing the process to find two Chief Executives for Cheshire, backs up the additional difficulty and political sensitivities that arise when recruiting during an election period. “Essential to a successful outcome is managing a process that anticipates and can navigate through these complexities, while still attracting the very best candidates. We felt confident that GatenbySanderson was the right partner to achieve a positive result.”