Conducting an Executive Search to appoint an Executive Director providing leadership for the delivery of high quality strategic functions.
The Brief
Future Leadership™ was engaged by a large public sector legal services organisation in Victoria to appoint an Executive Director responsible for leading criminal law services and contributing to the organisation’s wider reform agenda. The role became vacant following the internal promotion of the long-serving Executive Director into a senior integrity and oversight position.
The organisation required a leader with strong strategic capability, demonstrated experience navigating complex justice environments, and the capacity to drive service improvement across a multi-disciplinary workforce. The brief emphasised the need for a candidate who could foster a values-led culture, influence across government and community partners, and lead a large, multi-faceted service portfolio.
9.19.1
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.
10,000+10,000+
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.
50.5%50.5%
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.
98%98%
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™ delivered a targeted national search aligned to the organisation’s reform priorities and service needs.
Key steps included:
- Role and Context Briefing
- Engaged with senior leaders to clarify expectations, capability requirements and the broader justice system context.
- Targeted Candidate Search
- Activated a focused national search, combining outreach, networks and advertising to identify experienced legal and justice sector leaders.
- Candidate Assessment and Shortlisting
- Evaluated a strong pool of applicants and shortlisted those demonstrating strategic leadership, cultural alignment and relevant sector experience.
- Final Evaluation
- Supported a structured panel assessment process to determine the most suitable candidate for the organisation’s future direction.
The Outcome
The search resulted in the appointment of a highly capable Executive Director with a proven record of leading complex legal service environments and shaping system-level reform.
The successful candidate brought strong stakeholder engagement capability and a commitment to delivering equitable and accessible justice services. Their appointment strengthened strategic leadership capacity and positioned the organisation for continued service improvement and cultural renewal.
