Conducting an Executive Search for a CEO to Lead and Contribute to Strategic Health Outcomes
The Brief
Future Leadership holds a strong relationship with the leading regional healthcare organisation in question. The contextual understanding gained from completing earlier CEO and CFO appointments proved invaluable. In February 2024, the Future Leadership team was engaged to conduct the search to appoint the Chief People Officer (CPO). The position is an integral part of the Executive leadership team, with overarching responsibility for the strategic and operational delivery of the portfolio. The health service sought a CPO who would inspire and be a trusted advisor, supporting innovative people and culture programs across the organisation.
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™ assembled a specialised search team, and an experienced research and administration team, to lead the process.
Key steps included:
- Targeted Search and Talent Pooling: A comprehensive briefing was undertaken with the CEO, during which key success factors around leadership, strategy, stakeholder engagement and operational delivery were discussed. The healthcare organisation sought a candidate who would drive accountability across the organisation, and build a team fit to deliver high-performing, visible and connected across the health service. Senior strategic leadership experience in a complex environment, leading significant change, building capability and a focus on workplace safety/wellbeing would be key to the success of the appointee. Future Leadership maintains strong candidate pools and contacts in human resources/ people and culture and utilises these in making direct contact with potential candidates and sources of further referrals.
- Comprehensive Shortlisting: The search was underpinned by the selection of capabilities from the Future Leadership Capability Framework, which helped inform the search process including consultant and panel interviews, assessment of shortlisted candidates and areas to probe in reference checking. A nuance of the search was that there was a strong internal candidate who was expected to make an application. The process was completed with 360-degree reference checks and full reports provided to the client for consideration.
Emerging Capabilities
Strategy and Purpose
Develops and leads strategy for the function/organisation, taking a broad and long-term perspective. Understands and considers context. Communicates and gains buy-in to the function/organisation goals, direction and vision, promoting change initiatives.
Stakeholder Relations
Establishes rapport with stakeholders, builds and sustains trusted and collaborative relationships.
Identifies and draws on relevant and diverse perspectives and integrates them to support productive interactions.
Organisational Capability
Anticipates future workplace skills and requirements and builds capability across the organisation. Pro-actively seeks opportunities to develop other people’s talent and career pathways and takes appropriate action to address skill gaps in others.
Culture and Engagement
Fosters a positive culture, creating a sense of belonging and inclusiveness. Creates an environment that encourages diverse perspectives and facilitates a psychologically safe environment.
Governance and Compliance
Establishes, champions and measures the effectiveness of an organisation’s regulatory and reporting systems.
Identifies and evaluates risks, develops strategies to mitigate risk.
Systems Thinking
Systematically breaks down siloes across the operating environment and connects stakeholders to harness convergent ideas. Understands the leverage points of systems change and demonstrates the ability to think beyond known systems.
The Outcome
The client conducted panel interviews with two external candidates and one internal candidate. At the conclusion of the process, the successful applicant was confirmed and appointed. Notably, the successful applicant had been acting in the position for nearly nine months. With over 15 years’ of experience she has demonstrated a clear understanding of the health service, the people and the community, as well as nuances and the needs of the key stakeholders at the organisation.
