September edition

We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of two new Partners this month, both of whom are skilled interim recruiters. Their arrival means we can now provide the full executive search offering - whether that be permanent, interim or Board level - to both our health and social care sector clients, and our schools, further education and skills sector clients.

Paul Horgan will be supporting our schools, further education and skills team. He has over 30 years’ experience recruiting executive and senior management positions within the education sector, most notably in the schools and academies arenas.

Sian Williams will be supporting our health and social care team. She has over 17 years’ experience working across the public sector, with a keen interest and strong track record on appointing people to executive and senior management positions within the NHS.

If you're looking for a new challenge or project, or want to take the next steps in your career, place your next move in the experienced hands of our team.

Roles

Higher education & research

Supporting universities and alternative higher education providers to make transformational appointments.

• The University Secretary & Registrar at Ravensbourne University London will be responsible for leading all aspects of the processes, implementation and smooth running of corporate and academic governance and leading and managing the University’s Registry Services.?Contact Paul Aristides or Alicja Janowska for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.
• The Student Recruitment and Admissions Director at Kingston University will lead the development and execution of a market-led, strategic approach to increasing student numbers, elevating the University’s profile, and delivering innovative marketing and recruitment programmes. Contact Ed Pritchard or Aino Betts for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.
• The Executive Director of Research Services at the University of Glasgow will champion the development of a robust, inclusive, and interconnected research culture, seek emerging trends, and collaborate with funders and partners to unlock opportunities that will elevate Glasgow’s status as a leader in innovative research. Contact Ed Pritchard or Carolyn Coates for a private conversation or learn more about the role here .
• The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Finance and Operations at Richmond, The American International University in London will create a professional services vision, establishing new standards and driving service delivery as well as a high-performance culture to maximise the strengths and expertise of the variety of teams within their portfolio. Contact Ed Pritchard or Carolyn Coates for a private conversation or learn more about the role here .
• The Group Chief of Staff at a Large International Education Provider will work closely with a highly successful, entrepreneurial and ambitious Group CEO and have the opportunity of unrivalled exposure on a global scale and the chance to be at the forefront of industry-leading acquisitions and developments within the higher, further and primary education sectors. Contact Alicja Janowska or Akhil Yerneni for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.
• The Group Finance Director at a Large Education Organisation will be at the heart of driving the financial strategy and operational excellence in a role that is a fantastic blend of leadership, strategic influence, and hands-on financial management, all contributing to the group’s ambitions of 300% growth within the next 5-8 years. Contact Eva Tomka or Akhil Yerneni for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.

• The Innovation Greater Manchester Director at The Manchester Metropolitan University will be the face of Innovation Greater Manchester (IGM), a new triple-helix partnership overseen by an industry-led Board whose goal is to radically increase levels of investment in research, development and innovation in Greater Manchester. Contact Elliott Rae or Aino Betts for a private conversation or learn more about the role here .
• The Dean of School of Management at the University of Bradford will be responsible for setting and driving the strategic direction of the School, ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality education and research, while fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and innovative academic environment. Contact Elyse Turner-Pearce or Kiersten Avery for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.

• The Vice-Dean and Head of School of Environment, Education and Development at The University of Manchester will provide academic leadership and management to the School and lead, deliver and further develop an already strong performance in the field. Contact Elliott Rae or Imogen Wilde for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.
• The Faculty Dean at GBS will oversee the institution’s academic performance and build strong networks while addressing the operational challenges of providing high-quality education to a diverse and underrepresented student body. Contact Eva Tomka or Akhil Yerneni for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.

View all of our current roles in higher education here.

Schools

Advancing and improving educational outcomes at all levels.

• The Head of HR at St James Schools will provide operational and strategic leadership, working closely with the heads to ensure they have robust HR and People offering and with the COO to develop and implement HR strategies that align with the school’s individual goals and comply with current employment legislation. Contact Samantha Bryan-Ross or Hayley Mintern for a private conversation, or learn more about the role here .
• The Founding Head (Dubai) at GEDU Global Education will carefully develop and articulate a compelling contemporary vision for a brand new premium independent school catering for students aged 11-18 years old, bringing into reality a compelling vision for a school that will offer an exceptional, world-class education in the heart of Dubai. Contact Hayley Mintern for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.

View all of our current roles in education here.

Not for profit

Helping not for profit organisations make a lasting impact.

• The Chief Executive Officer at SWAP Internal Audit Services will shape and implement their corporate strategy, identify new income streams to secure SWAP’s future and collaborate with senior leaders across both public and private sectors to forge lasting partnerships. Contact Aino Betts or Helene Usherwood for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.

View all of our current not for profit roles here.

Board

Developing one of the most wide-reaching board practices in the UK.

• The Non-Executive Director (Clinical) at the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will support their mission to question, innovate, and lead with insights that drive continuous quality improvement within the Trust. Contact Carolyn Coates or Helene Usherwood for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.

View all of our current Board roles here.

Technology

Expanding diversity in technical and digital appointments.

• The Business Analyst at Girlguiding will provide insight into membership and business processes and contribute to identifying and delivering the changes to processes, tools and systems and work in partnership with adult volunteers, Girlguiding staff and external suppliers. Contact Grace Tattersall for a private conversation or learn more about the role here .
• The Data Architect at Girlguiding will enable and promote Girlguiding’s effective use and management of data across the organisation as well as be responsible for designing and developing a logical data model, reference architectures, and data dictionaries. Contact Grace Tattersall for a private conversation or learn more about the role here .

View all of our current roles in technology here.

Healthcare

Helping build sustainable services that meet the needs of communities.

• The Non-Executive Director (Clinical) at the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will shape the future of healthcare and foster a culture of agility and transformation by making a meaningful impact and help to address health inequalities in the Sussex Integrated Care System. Contact Helene Usherwood or Carolyn Coates for a private conversation or learn more about the role here .

View all of our current roles in Healthcare here.

Interim

Placing top interim talent into impactful roles.

• The Interim Chief Finance Officer at a Midlands Integrated Care Board will provide fundamental support in the development of an executive team which partners with the wider system partners under this Integrated Care Partnership. Contact Sian Williams for a private conversation or learn more about the role here .
• The?Interim ASD Consultant at a SEN School will be looking at quality of provision, working closely with the headteacher and deputy headteacher of the school as well as with a local authority appointed project lead. Contact Paul Horgan for a private conversation or learn more about the role here.
• The Interim Head of IT at a London-based Arts Charity will lead the IT strategy and operational management of the IT function and also have commercial insight, as the IT department provides costed services to creative residents, commercial event hires, and restaurants. Contact Grace Tattersall for a private conversation or learn more about the role here .
• The Interim Project Manager at a London University will support the Transformation Director in the delivery and design of 3 sprints. Main responsibilities will be to coordinate and schedule sprint workshops and meetings, and engage key stakeholders as well as external stakeholders. Contact Az Ahmed for a private conversation or learn more about the role her e.
• The Interim Health and Allied Health Consultant at a UK University will produce an assessment of opportunity document that highlights the possibilities and pathway for the University to realise its ambition of creating a health academy. Contact John Laycock for a private conversation or learn more about the role here .

View all of our current interim roles here.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the following candidates on their new roles

• Steve Statham on his appointment as Director of Business Development at Aston University .
• Fiona Innes on her appoointmen as Head of Compliance at Francis Holland Schools (FHS Trust) .
• Mark Corfield on his appointment as Vice Chair at LMKLetMeKnow .
• Kathryn Al-Shemmeri FCIPD on her appointment as Chief People Officer at Imperial College London.

Events

• Grace Tattersall hosted our latest AQ Women in Tech event last week in partnership with the British Red Cross, which focused on Resilience, discovering the skills, techniques and mindsets to help overcome obstacles and build self-confidence. Here are some key takeaways from the event .
• The next AQ Women in Tech event will be a webinar on 14 November, co-hosted by Helene Usherwood , AQ’s Board recruitment lead and Fiona Hathorn , CEO at Women on Boards UK , to explore Non-Executive portfolios, sharing insights on how you can develop a NED Portfolio, and talk about the demand for tech and digital specific skills on Boards. If you’re interested in finding out more, please contact [email protected] .
• Hayley Mintern is speaking at the Education Conferences UK ‘Independent School Conference 2024: Future Proofing the Independent Sector’ on 8 November, an exclusive one-day event dedicated to empowering school leaders to deepen?their social impact, deliver value for money education, and establish a strong workplace culture with high quality, well-rounded leadership. Find out more here.

In case you missed it

• With new leadership at Ofsted and a new government, a deeper review and greater reform are now taking place, and while it would be easy to forget that Colleges are also a key part of the system, Ofsted must not ignore FE. Paul Aristides , Partner and lead in our further education and skills practice, asked Liz Bromley , CEO at NCG , Simon Cook , Principal & CEO of MidKent College , Julie Kapsalis , Principal & CEO at North East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT) , and Bushra Iqbal , Vice Principal (Curriculum and Quality) at Morley College London , what they think .
• Akhil Yerneni and Claire Carter joined Susannah Marsden on the latest Job Shadowing HE podcast to help shed light on what executive search firms do and how to work with one. Job Shadowing HE is available on all major podcast platforms; you can listen to or read the transcript here .
• As the multi-academy trust sector evolves, so does its need for talented people to provide good governance. Hayley Mintern and Andrew Thraves shared their expertise with Tes magazine on how to find the right people for the job. Read the full article here .
• How can tech companies achieve gender balance? Grace Tattersall spoke with TechNative , stating a focus on increasing female STEM graduates, strong networks of female mentors, inclusive hiring practices, a flexible work culture, and breaking down the “old boys club”. Read the full article here .
• Hayley Mintern shared her thoughts with the Boarding Schools' Association on how schools are strengthed by hiring talent outside of the sector, stating, "Hiring from alternative sources gives the opportunity for greater diversity [...] of people and of thought [which] brings competitive advantages." Read the full article here .

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