Adeline began her recruitment career in 2008, working across various sectors and levels. After relocating to the UK in 2019, Adeline was driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact in the world of education and directed her expertise towards the Education sector. Placing skilled professionals in the sector, she demonstrated her ongoing commitment to identifying and attracting candidates to meet diverse needs in different areas.
Adeline joined GatenbySanderson in July 2023, focusing on Interim Leadership within Education. Understanding the need for highly skilled and experienced Interim candidates who can immediately deliver, she is committed to linking and supporting the best individuals for the job. Read Adeline’s bio here.
What brought you to GS?
The role itself was really appealing to me as it offered the opportunity to focus on interim within higher education, working across the whole of the UK. Also, I am working within a well-established and professional team of talented individuals across the GS business.
I researched the growth and success of GS over the years and was really impressed. There’s a clear career pathway which is really important for professional development.
GS is not only a market leader in the public sector, but its values are important to me as they align with my own.
What’s your experience of the first few weeks?
Before I joined, I found the values were authentically and consistently expressed throughout the interviewing process. There was always such an openness and I could give Bhav a call, or send a WhatsApp, and have a chat to make sure I was at ease and receiving as much information as possible. It was a wonderful experience.
Reflecting on my first seven weeks, that positive experience has carried on right the way through induction training. Everyone’s just been wonderful; really authentic and helpful and I’ve really felt at home. Even though I haven’t been here that long, I feel part of the GS family and am really thrilled to be here.
Are education or interim leadership new areas for you?
Neither education nor interim is new for me, but what is new is interim leadership within education. This is a step up for me and it’s so exciting to focus solely on interim leadership.
I’ve mainly worked with interim over the course of my career, the roles move a lot quicker. Usually, you’re filling an urgent need and there may be a need for someone to start within a week or two. Working at that pace, I enjoy the adrenaline rush; getting it over the line and assisting the organisation so that they have business continuity.
I am working across both the education and the interim teams. The education team are so knowledgeable and established, and I’m learning so much. The interim leadership team are a great support; we work across the various sectors and my colleagues are happy to offer assistance and support in terms of specific interim contracts and compliance.
What has drawn you to the higher education sector?
It’s the direct and positive impact on society that leaders can have, and it’s specifically the impact of educating the next generation of leaders.
Universities offer so much to society; the advancement of knowledge, as well as continuous research, all of which serves communities both locally and on a global scale. Universities have a role in promoting freedom of thought and encouraging diverse thinking, contributing to building a better society. It’s great to be a part of that.
What do you think are the priorities for leaders in education today?
My view is that the biggest challenges for the sector are financial ones. How do leaders find strategic ways to navigate these whilst still offering a top service? The importance of leaders being open to change and sharing experiences through well-established and wide networks is a continuous theme for me.
Interim leadership offers a wonderful opportunity to bring freshness of ideas and introduce different ways of working.
What are you passionate about outside work?
I’ve been based in south west London since moving to the UK in 2019. The experience of coming through Covid underlined just how important it is to be involved in local community and upliftment projects. I am involved, through my local church, with community initiatives such as food banks, as well as providing homeless winter shelters.
I’ve got a big love for the outdoors, having grown up in a rural town in South Africa. As much as I enjoy the city, I’m always looking for opportunities to get into the country, to the hills and the coast to explore a little bit more. Recently I’ve taken up underwater photography. I’ve really enjoyed exploring different dive sites and learning a bit more about marine life. That’s become a bit of a passion for me.