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So, you want to recruit a new CEO for Jersey's Government... Where's the best place to advertise? How do you find out which candidate is "in flow"? And who gets the final say on who to choose?
Express unveils the detail of the process…
For the past three Chief Executive Officers, Odgers Berndtson have acted as lead recruiters following what has been described as a “competitive” tender process.
The UK-based company describes itself as “a global executive search, interim management, talent assessment and leadership development firm” with expertise in “business, government, academic and public life”.
Its client list is varied, spanning universities, NHS trusts, sports bodies like Badminton England, charities like Malaria No More and even the island’s financial regulator, the JFSC.
Its relationship with Jersey goes back many years, however, with spending on its search services for executives and interims between 2014 and 2018 reaching nearly £1.1m.
Pictured: The Government’s spend on search firm Odgers Berndtson between 2014 and 2018.
In the case of Interim CEO Paul Martin, who had recently left the top job in the London Boroughs of Wandsworth and Richmond, Odgers’ expertise was coupled with input from Green Park, an “acknowledged, international tier-one supplier in the executive interim management field across the private and public sectors.”
While recruiters are expected to use their expertise to headhunt top talent and pique their interest in island life, advertising also plays a key role in the process.
Adverts aren’t only placed on the Government’s own generic jobs site and specialist ‘One Team Jersey’ portal, as well as Odgers Berndston’s website and LinkedIn – recent years have seen a move towards targeting high-profile national publications.
In the 2017 recruitment exercise that led to former Oldham, Manchester City and Westminster CEO Charlie Parker’s apppointment to the top civil service job, posts were placed in The Sunday Times and The Guardian by the Government.
Adverts were also placed in the Municipal Journal, a weekly print and online publication offering an insider’s view on local government favoured by UK council top dogs.
Pictured: The MJ, a publication favoured by UK civil servants.
In the case of Mr Martin and outgoing Belfast CEO Suzanne Wylie’s appointments, Odgers Berndston were paid to place additional adverts, but the Government said it did not hold information on where these featured.
Once a substantial number of CVs have flowed in – recruitment for Charlie Parker’s permanent successor generated nearly 70 applications from Jersey, the UK and even further afield - its time for the recruiters to start sifting.
Firstly, it’s a paper-sifting exercise.
Anyone with a strong application – and that usually means existing CEO or senior director-level experience – is likely to be placed on the priority pile.
It’s then time for a first interview with the recruiters – an opportunity to filter out those who are strong on paper, but struggle to impress when probed further.
If all goes well, candidates are set their next challenge: impressing the Government’s official assessor, Dr Gillian Stamp MBE.
Dr Stamp’s website describes her as a “sounding-board for leaders as they look to the future” of 25 years, who has “offered support, reflection and counsel to chairmen, chief executives and senior staff in the UK, USA, Belgium, Hungary, India, Singapore, Australia and South Africa, in both the private and public sectors, with military and religious organisations, social enterprise and not-for-profit groups”.
Pictured: An extract from official 'assesor' Dr Gillian Stamp MBE's website.
Dr Stamp has previously provided reports for UK parliamentary committees. Between 2015 and 2016, she was a Specialist Advisor alongside Dame Janet Paraskeva, the Chair of Jersey’s Appointments Commission.
In 2020, Dr Stamp was made an MBE for her “public and voluntary service”.
The Government told Express that, prior to Charlie Parker’s 2017 recruitment, “initial recommendations on assessors were provided to the appointment panel by the search agent, in partnership with the central Government resourcing/HR function, and the appointment was ratified and agreed by the appointment panel.”
Each of the candidates who reached the final interview stage undertook a ‘Career Path Appreciation Assessment’ conducted by Dr Gillian Stamp.
This is described as a “guided conversation with an individual about the way he or she makes decisions”, including providing a description of their working life, “especially about times they have felt at ease with their responsibilities, overstretched or underused.”
This evidence is then used to consider the match between the individual’s capability and the complexity of the role.
“Research has shown that when there is a mismatch between individual capability and complexity of role, the organisation cannot rely on the judgement or the leadership of the individual,” the Government told Express.
“When a person’s capability is well-matched to the challenges of their role they often describe their experience as being ‘in flow’, in their element, able to cope with the unexpected and to make sound decisions. A person ‘in flow’ adds value to the organisation by perceiving all the relevant components of the ‘situation now’ and making appropriate judgements about what to change and what to leave ‘as is’.”
A written assessment is then created and presented to the appointment panel.
Those deemed capable of handling such responsibilities are finally passed on to an appointments panel, which usually constitutes JAC representatives, the Chief Minister, and a mixture of UK civil service and external business experts.
Charlie Parker’s appointment panel consisted of:
On the panel for both Interim CEO Mr Martin and soon-to-be permanent CEO Ms Wylie’s selection were:
In Mr Parker and Ms Wylie’s case, there was also a further step “engagement meetings” with politicians and members of the States Employment Board, which is the group of States Members that officially acts as the public sector ‘Employer’.
While Mr Parker travelled to the island for his interviews and meetings, Mr Martin and Ms Wylie’s entire appointment process was conducted remotely “due to covid”.
In all, Ms Wylie had four sets of virtual interviews:
It’s not a cheap process, with recruitment fees habitually reaching the tens of thousands.
Those fees cover payment for the recruiters, payment for Dr Stamp’s assessments and travel expenses, and the candidates’ own travel and accommodation expenses as part of the interview process.
The 2017 process that resulted in Charlie Parker’s appointment saw three candidates travel to London to attend their assessment interviews, as well as Jersey for a trio who made it to the final interview stage in Jersey.
The total cost for professional recruitment fees was £35,000. Advertising and design fees £10,975. Other disbursements including assessor fees and candidate expenses were £4,483, making a total of £50,458.
The total professional recruitment fees for the Interim CEO were £95,000.
While there were no expenses or disbursements as processes were managed virtually, the higher fee may be attributed to the shorter recruitment timeframe, with Charlie Parker’s departure being announced in November 2020 and a temporary replacement being required just four months later by the end of March 2021.
The process to appoint a permanent CEO, which started in March 2021 and resulted in the appointment of Suzanne Wylie in summer, cost £66,970.
The total cost for Professional recruitment fees was £60,000. Advertising fees £3,070. Professional fees for Dr Gillian Stamp and professional fees for Sir Neil McIntosh came to £3,900.
No money was spent on candidate travel and accommodation expenses because the entire process was managed virtually.
Ms Wylie, who joins from Belfast City Council where she was the first woman to be appointed to the role, will be starting in Jersey on 1 February 2022 following a handover process with Mr Martin. She will also be Jersey's first female CEO.
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