Case studies
Sentebale
Roles
Head of Finance & Compliance
Client profile
Founded in 2006 by The Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Sentebale is an international charity that supports vulnerable children in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi. Working with local grassroots organisations to reach out to young victims of extreme poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Sentebale empowers at-risk children to lead healthy and productive lives.
Assignment
- Head of Finance & Compliance
The assignment specified that with responsibility for leading a very small team, the ideal candidate would have a hands-on approach, strong international experience, a niche skill-set, plus the gravitas to engage effectively with the charity’s board and trustees.
Key considerations and challenges
- Remuneration not consistent with private sector roles of similar seniority.
- The time-critical nature of the appointment meant that the recruitment campaign and selection were carried out during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Solution
Robertson Bell is able to deploy a broad range of assets to match the unique demands of each recruitment assignment. Our most productive resource is often our candidate database of almost 100K professionals in the Public and Not-for-Profit sectors – and for Sentebale, this was supported by extensive LinkedIn Recruiter activity, targeted advertising on carefully chosen jobs boards, plus a far-reaching headhunt campaign.
Executing the recruitment campaign and facilitating selection during lockdown presented some extraordinary challenges, and our ability to engage with high-calibre candidates at this time was made possible by our impressive connectivity. Our ability to manage an entirely virtual selection process without compromising the integrity of the experience for either client or candidates, demonstrated the efficacy and value of our In-Sight remote video platform.
Outcome
Robertson Bell consultants carried out initial interviews based on a template provided by the client, with six candidates progressing to full interview by a remote panel of Sentebale stakeholders.
The process quickly identified a stand-out individual, and with compliance, reference checking and negotiations managed by Robertson Bell, Sentebale were able to appoint their first-choice candidate.