Case Study: Chair and Non-Exec appointments | The Royal Society of Medicine Commercial Services (RSMCS)
A historic membership charity dedicated to advancing health through learning, collaboration and innovation across the global healthcare community.
The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a historic membership charity dedicated to advancing health through learning, collaboration and innovation across the global healthcare community.
Its commercial subsidiary, The Royal Society of Medicine Commercial Services (RSMCS), operatesthe venue, hospitality and conferencing services at 1 Wimpole Street and plays a vital role insustaining that mission by generating income that is reinvested into education, innovation andpublic engagement.
As the organisation prepared for a period of strategic renewal and leadership transition, it sought to appoint a new independent Chair for the RSM Commercial Services Board (RSMCSBoard) to guide the next phase of commercial and governance development.
Context.
This recruitment came at a significant moment. The long serving Chair of the RSMCS Board was approaching the end of a twelve year tenure, while a new organisational strategy was being developed that would shape the future direction of both the Society and its commercial subsidiary.
At the same time, the commercial arm had demonstrated strong performance, with trading income increasing and contributing a substantial proportion of overall revenue, underlining its importance to long term sustainability and charitable impact.
The incoming Chair would need to balance stewardship and renewal, strengthening governance, supporting executive leadership and ensuring that commercial success remained closely aligned to social purpose and member experience.
Brief.
Peridot was appointed to lead the search for a values-led Chair with strong commercial acumen, governance credibility and the ability to guide strategic evolution within a complex, mission driven environment.
Working closely with the President, Trustees and senior leadership team, we shaped a process grounded in inclusion, long term impact and cultural alignment. The search spanned hospitality, membership organisations, venues, property and wider customer facing sectors, while maintaining a strong focus on purpose-driven leadership and collaborative governance.
Throughout the process, we remained attentive to the wider leadership potential emerging within the candidate field, recognising opportunities to strengthen governance beyond the original scope of the brief where this would support the organisation’s future resilience.
Outcome.
We were delighted to support the appointment of Michael O’Dwyer as Chair. Michael is a seasoned chief executive and non executive leader with extensive experience across premium hospitality, membership organisations and Royal Charter Institutions, bringing significant P&L accountability, governance leadership and a strong commitment to aligning commercial performance with organisational purpose.
During final discussions, the panel also recognised the exceptional board level potential of James Lemon, whose insight, values alignment and governance capability made a strong contribution throughout the process. Although the original brief focused solely on the Chair appointment, the organisation decided to appoint James as a Non-Executive Director, creating an additional, unanticipated placement that strengthened the overall board composition and future leadership capacity.
Impact.
What began as a single leadership appointment evolved into a broader opportunity to enhance governance and long term organisational resilience.
The Society gained:
- A values-led Chair able to steward commercial strategy in service of charitable purpose.
- An additional Non-Executive Director appointment, strengthening board capability and succession depth.
- A more balanced and future ready governance composition to support strategic renewal and modernisation.
Most importantly, these appointments help ensure that the commercial strength of RSMCS continues to enable world-class learning, collaboration and innovation for healthcare professionals, supporting better healthcare and better lives in the years ahead.
Category: Case studies
Consultant in charge
James Hunt
Director | Membership & Development
James Hunt is a senior executive search specialist with over two decades of experience connecting exceptional leaders with purpose-driven organisations. As Head of Not for Profit Appointments at Peridot Partners, he has led 300 specialist, senior and board-level searches across the UK's charity, membership and higher-education sectors.
His portfolio spans appointments for organisations as wide-ranging as the Chartered Insurance Institute, Stonewall, University of London, IOSH and Migrant Help. James is trusted for his insight, rigour and empathy when working with boards navigating complexity or transition.
Inclusive recruitment is central to his approach. As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, neurodivergent and an immigrant who has made the UK home, James draws on lived experience to embed fairness and belonging into every search. He is a Trustee and sits on two Committees of a large charity, and is a member of Peridot's EDI, L&D and People Committees. He actively challenges assumptions, opens space for underrepresented voices and builds transparent, psychologically safe recruitment journeys.
James believes that great leadership is grounded in vulnerability, creativity and empathy. These values shape his work with candidates and clients alike, helping to build long-term relationships and leadership teams that reflect the societies they serve.
