Future Leadership appointed an Interim Director of Business to ensure operational continuity, financial governance, and executive confidence during a leadership transition at a leading independent girls’ school in Victoria
The Brief
A leading independent girls’ school in Victoria, widely respected for its long-standing commitment to academic excellence and the holistic development of young women, approached Future Leadership to secure a high-calibre Interim Director of Business.
The school was entering a critical period of transition following the departure of its business leader. Leadership continuity was a key priority with a ten-week gap between the incumbent’s exit and the expected commencement of a permanent appointee via an ongoing executive search. The school sought an interim leader who could seamlessly step into the role, ensuring that day-to-day operations remained stable, financial governance remained robust, and strategic planning efforts retained momentum.
Increase in General Management Skills
According to the American Management Association, only 14% of businesses consider themselves “well prepared” to handle a sudden loss in senior management. Add to that the fact that it takes at least four months to fill an executive role, and an Interim Executive experienced in operations makes a lot of sense!
Increase in Customer Experience Skills
These days experience is everything. What truly makes for a good experience? Speed. Convenience. Consistency. Friendliness. And human touch. Our Interim Executives deliver a great experience while improving your customer experience!
Increase in People & Culture Skills
Organisations are constantly changing as they respond to internal and external pressures. Continual process improvement can enable team engagement and lead to growth. Interim Executives bring fresh eyes and effective industry best practice to the execution.
Increase in Data Analytics
Complex challenges require critical thinking and in the age of information-overwhelm it is imperative to have analytical minds at the table. These skills range across finance, data science, systems and more. An Interim Executive can be the right person to optimise your inputs to maximise your output.
The Process
Future Leadership undertook a highly targeted and expedited search process, drawing upon our established network of experienced interim executives. The brief required a seasoned professional with demonstrated expertise across financial management, risk and compliance, and governance, alongside the ability to lead and inspire a capable internal team. Understanding the education sector—and ideally independent schools—was essential to ensure the interim could quickly adapt to the school environment and engage effectively with senior leadership, staff, and the broader school community.
Following a series of interviews and reference checks, Future Leadership presented a shortlist of well-credentialed candidates with proven success in interim roles and deep operational expertise.
Emerging Capabilities
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.
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.
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.
Critical Thinking
Gathers and examines different data points, testing for assumptions and gaps in logic; reframes problems and presents well-reasoned insights considering diverse perspectives. Analyses, interprets and objectively evaluates information enabling judgements.
Commercial Acumen
Provides a deep understanding of relevant industry, marketplace and business drivers as applicable to the organisation. Leverages the application of commercial tools and frameworks to manage opportunities, conflicts and trade-offs.
The Outcome
Future Leadership successfully placed a highly accomplished executive who had recently transitioned out of a long-standing role as Business Manager at a large, respected co-educational independent school. Their move from permanent leadership into interim work was seamless and well-aligned with the needs of the client. They brought with him deep and practical knowledge in financial strategy, operational management, compliance, and governance. His ability to rapidly assess the environment, connect with staff, and provide steady leadership ensured minimal disruption during the transition period.
From his first week, he made an immediate and positive impact—offering continuity, stability, and clear direction. His presence not only kept critical business functions running smoothly but also helped lay the groundwork for the incoming permanent Director of Business.
The client’s feedback was outstanding. They noted his calm, capable leadership style and his ability to quickly gain the confidence of the Executive and School Council. His professionalism, experience, and sector knowledge were described as “the perfect fit” for the role and instrumental in setting a confident tone for the school’s next chapter.
