Board

Modern society demands effective, transparent governance and appropriately diverse, representative Boards of Directors for its most important organisations.

Any search for a Non-Executive needs to take into account a number of key issues in order to be successful – relevant experience, cultural fit, time commitment and advocacy. Our Board Practice is one of the most diverse and research-oriented in the market.

Through advising on a very wide array of Chair and NED appointments across all of our areas of expertise we have developed a modern forward-thinking approach in support of building excellent boards. We seek to identify both well-known as well as high potential, yet more unknown, candidates. We ensure that we deliver a range of candidates from across the private, public and non-profit sectors.

How We Think

Where We Can help

Chair of Board

As the sectors in which we operate continue to internationalise and marketise the implications of these pressures on the role of a Chair are very real and present. Yet at the same time this is an era when a Chair can help to shape the most inspiring and ambitious of agendas for the organisation.

The role of Chair often requires an individual of immense experience and capacity in regards to governance, leading and running major organisations, complex international operations, working in partnership, diplomacy, people-management sensitivities, financial acuity, international policy and relations, and acting as an ambassador and advocate for the organisation.

Our work spans the public, private and non-profit sectors and as such we are able to take an extremely broad view of the environments from which potential candidates might emanate.

Finance and Audit

Sitting on the main board and/or Chairing the Audit, Finance, Remuneration or Risk Committees, we have supported clients across the public, private and non-profit sectors to appoint candidates with financial services, audit and investment experience.

Overseeing the financial reporting process, selecting the independent auditor, and receiving audit results it is vital that the appointed candidates are responsible with great integrity – our thorough assessment methods, triangulation and due diligence are able to ensure that shortlisted candidates have the interest and motivation to support our clients.

Specialist Portfolios

Working closely with the Partners of our Advisory business, we can work with Boards to identify specific skills gaps and we have supported clients to identify candidates with diverse backgrounds.

Specific portfolios have included Marketing and Branding, Human Resources, Legal, Clinical, Digital, Governance, Internationalisation, Investment, Change Management, Communications, Fundraising and Theology.

General

Of increasing importance to our clients, we are able to analyse and advise with regard to diversity across Non-Executive Boards and Councils, as well as offering succession planning services. We work with clients across all nine of our areas of expertise to identify candidates with the requisite skills, experience and passion to sit on the Board of our client organisations.

We are extremely successful in supporting clients appoint across sectors (53% of appointments) and diversely (40% female appointments).

Who to talk to

Recent Board Clients

Recent Board Appointments

Appointment of Head to succeed Christian Pritchard from September 2023

It is with great pleasure that the Board of Governors announce the appointment of Simone Mitchell as the 9th Head of Beachborough School from September 2023. Beachborough will be Simone’s second Headship, as she will join from Swanbourne House School, one of the two Preparatory Schools within the Stowe Group, where she has been instrumental in growth and development under the new banner. Simone qualified as an English teacher in 1996 from Exeter University and has a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Buckingham. She has been an External Tutor for the University and, has lectured on their PGCE…

Perrett Laver appoints new leadership team as company embarks on

11th May, 2023: Perrett Laver, the leading purpose-driven international executive search firm, announces the appointment of a new Global Leadership Team to steer the company through its next phase of growth.  Arabella Chichester, Dr Sinead Gibney and Tom Weinberg, will take over from Co-Founders Dan Perrett and Simon Laver, who after 20 years, will transition to non-executive roles in the employee-owned company. Arabella Chichester and Dr Sinead Gibney will be appointed as Global Senior Partners and will be responsible for the long-term strategic development and accelerating commercial growth of the company. Arabella has been at Perrett Laver for twelve years and has been Global Head of the Social…

Perrett Laver appoints new Managing Partner for its growing team

Leading international executive search firm, Perrett Laver, has announced the appointment of Dr Nicole Shea as its new Managing Partner, Germany, to head up its growing presence in the country.  Perrett Laver is dedicated to supporting the appointment of leaders in purpose-driven organisations that seek to change the world for the better. Nicole started her role in the company’s new Berlin office on 1st September.  A German national, she joins Perrett Laver from the Council for European Studies at Columbia University (CES), where she had served as Executive Director and Founder of the journal EuropeNow since 2015. In her role, she oversaw the renowned annual International Conference of Europeanists, the prestigious World Society Foundation…

Perrett Laver appoints three new Partners

Leading international executive search firm, Perrett Laver, has announced three new partners – as the business invests in its global talent. Dedicated to supporting the appointment of leaders in purpose-driven organisations set to change the world, Perrett Laver has promoted three expert leaders to the Partnership. The new Partners are: Siobhan Doherty, Partner, Global Development and Rights Lead, International Organisations Lead & Africa Lead â€“ during her significant tenure of 10 years with the firm andwith a focus on global development and human rights, Siobhan has worked with social impact organisations across the globe. She brings a particular passion for rights-based organisations and has…

Anita Bhalla OBE has been named as the next Chair

Champion of the creative industries and founder of the BBC Asian Network  Anita Bhalla OBE has been named as the next Chair of Birmingham City University’s Board of Governors. Anita will take up her position as Deputy Chair on the Board from October this year, before taking over as Chair when current incumbent Mark Hopton’s term of office finishes in May 2023. A passionate Brummie herself, Anita will bring her deep understanding of the region to the roles of Deputy Chair and Chair, as the University continues working towards the goals laid out in its Strategy 2025. In addition to her advocacy for…

ASC’s Supervisory Board welcomes new chair and five new members

ASC’s Supervisory Board has welcomed a number of new members recently, including a new chair, Margret Thalwitz, who brings to the role decades of experience in academia and organisations such as the World Bank. Margret is a Development Economist who has had a long career at the World Bank. Among other senior positions she was leading the Bank’s Global Partnership Department prior to leaving for a sabbatical year in Oxford to study the governance of global food security. She has been a consultant on development strategy, a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Global Cooperation Research and a member of…