Conducting an Executive Search for a Chief Executive Officer to lead ongoing service delivery at an agency level and be a key player in ongoing sector reform at a state level in a major emergency services agency, with a very large and geographically dispersed workforce.
The role requires a strong and collaborative leader who has both the drive and humility to work with a colleague in a joint organisational leadership role, where each has statutory accountabilities for in their respective areas of responsibilities, and shared responsibility for the whole organisation.
The Brief
Future Leadership™ was engaged by the Board Chair of a major emergency services agency in Melbourne to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer. This existing senior leadership position is designed to lead the agency overall, with responsibility for all Business functions, providing strategic and day-to-day support to the organisation’s leadership team, while working in collaboration with a Chief Officer, who leads all Field Operations.
Reporting directly to Board, the CEO is responsible for Health, Safety and Wellbeing (HSW) Leadership, Strategic Leadership and Influence, Change Leadership, Organisational Performance, Key Stakeholder Management and Engagement, Governance and Board Management, and Organisational Culture & Capability Development.
Candidate net Promote Score
Future Leadership combines truly personalised relationships with innovative technology solutions to ensure an approachable and efficient process for all our Net Promoter Score across clients, successful candidates and unsuccessful candidates is well above industry standard.
Candidates supported every year
We maintain genuine relationships with past candidates and continue to support them with leadership solutions long term, after they land their role.
Senior Women Appointed since 2002
Over half of the executive search assignments undertaken by our team have resulted in the appointment of outstanding female or LGBTQI+ leaders to high profile roles.
Candidate Retention Rate for 12 months since 2002
Our thorough briefing process and ability to engage passive candidates mean that we go to great lengths to find the right person for the role – long term!
The Process
Future Leadership™ undertook a comprehensive search process tailored to the organisation’s needs, which included identifying candidates both from within the emergency services sector and from broader public sector backgrounds of relevance, which included an understanding of public sector environments, exposure to local community engagement preferably at a state-wide level. This combination had proven successful with the previous CEO (also appointed from a search by Future Leadership 5 years ago), who was very effective in stabilising and providing direction to the organisation after a period of significant disruption and executive turnover.
Key steps included:
- Briefing and Strategy Development: Engaged with the Board Chair and a Board Selection Committee to understand the role’s strategic priorities and challenges.
- Targeted Candidate Search: Leveraged, extensive networks, a targeted advertising campaign, and referrals from well informed senior sources in the sector and beyond, to identify candidates with the required executive capability and track record.
- Candidate Assessment: Shortlisted four candidates, who underwent initial interview, psychometric assessments, and a panel interview, including a presentation specific to the role requirements.
- Final Evaluation: Final candidates presented to a Selection Panel, comprising the Board Chair and three other Board members.
This rigorous process ensured the appointment of a candidate with extensive relevant experience in multiple jurisdictions and in highly relevant CEO roles, including a track record of delivering change and reforms where needed.
Emerging Capabilities
Ethics, Integrity, Compliance
Showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to moral and ethical principles and values aligned to social, cultural, equitable and professional standards of conduct. Fosters trust and promotes the concept of a social license to operate.
Culture and Engagement
Engages stakeholders inclusively with sensitivity and regard for diversity and facilitates a psychologically safe environment for social or cultural differences affecting behaviour.
Strategic Relationships
Works strategically to encourage diverse thinking with all types of people, contributes to teamwork and builds relationships and networks across a range of people or groups.
Critical Thinking
Assesses and examines information for assumptions and gaps in logic; reframes problems and presents well reasoned insights to make judgements at systems level.
Communication and Influence
Communicates with clarity and impact to facilitate individual and collective understanding, inspire action and enable information exchange. Leverages human-centric communication and storytelling to effectively influence stakeholders across the physical and virtual realms.
Initiative and Drive
Leads self by working independently, setting and attaining personal and work related goals, and demonstrating motivation and responsibility for their own actions. Demonstrates awareness of personal strengths and improvement areas. Effectively relates to others in a professional manner.
The Outcome
A highly experienced CEO with a strong background in emergency services was appointed as the CEO, commencing in November 2024.
Their expertise in leadership of large and complex organisations, leading change and reform, stakeholder engagement both internally and externally across a diverse and complex sector, political and community landscape will enable ongoing service delivery and sector reform in challenging environmental and organisational circumstances.
