Case study: Chair Recruitment | The Florence Nightingale Museum
We partnered with the Florence Nightingale Museum to recruit their new Chair to guide the organisation into an exciting new chapter.
The Florence Nightingale Museum (FNM), a self-funded charitable body dedicated to celebrating the legacy of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, partnered with us in their search for a new Chair to guide the organisation into an exciting new chapter. Following a period focused on maintaining operations, the Museum was shifting its focus to growth, requiring a dynamic and visionary leader to support its executive team in shaping its strategic objectives and future direction.
Context.
The appointment came at a pivotal time, as the Museum embarked on a strategic plan to pioneer change. A key strategic objective was to identify the best approach to a long-term location for the Museum that offered greater security of tenure and the potential to expand its visitor offer.
The Museum sought an engaged strategic leader who understood the sector’s operational challenges, funding landscape and audience engagement strategies. The successful candidate was required to demonstrate strong governance and leadership acumen, fundraising and financial sustainability experience, a vision for growth and knowledge of capital development and relocation planning. Critically, the Chair needed to help shape and share Florence Nightingale’s broader narrative, including her impact on STEM, society and gender.
Brief.
The Museum wanted to engage a Chair who could lead the development of their future strategy. While a museum or nursing sector background was not mandatory, the successful candidate needed to lead the organisation through a time of change, which could involve relocation or refurbishment, supporting critical decisions about the Museum’s future direction.
Key attributes and experience required for the role included:
- Strategic leadership and vision
- Governance and expertise
- Financial and fundraising acumen
- Capital development and relocation
The appointment of the new Chair was pivotal in setting the tone for a refresh of the Board of Trustees, leading a review of governance approaches and the recruitment of new Trustees following the impact of Covid.
Outcome.
Through a tailored search, Peridot reached out to over 200 individuals, searching across the museums, heritage and culture sectors with a focus on individuals who had delivered successful change or capital projects and with deep knowledge of the financial landscape.
A total of 7 candidates applied for the role, with 3 shortlisted for final interview.
This included:
- An experienced Executive Director and Trustee with a 35-year track record in high-profile culture and heritage organisations, including executive leadership roles at a major national museum group, where they led content, programming, communications and master planning across multiple branches.
- A cultural sector leader with over three decades of professional experience, specialising in leading change programmes and transformative capital projects across institutions, including a major modern art gallery and a leading design museum.
- A governance specialist and values-driven leader with strong commercial experience, having served as CEO for multiple professional institutes and holding multiple trustee/chair roles across different sectors.
This appointment secured a leader with strategic acumen and experience navigating institutional change, which is vital as the Florence Nightingale Museum embarks on its strategic plan to secure a new, long-term location and expand its narrative and reach.
Category: Arts, Heritage & Culture
Consultant in charge
David Hingley
Head of Arts, Heritage & Culture
David Hingley passionately believes that 'people make places'. He began his career in retail as a Store Manager at Marks and Spencer before moving to senior roles at complex cultural organisations, including Historic Royal Palaces, The Landmark Trust and Tate. In his recent role as a Senior Consultant at BOP Consulting, David has supported strategic projects across the sector, helping organisations drive meaningful change.
David is a passionate advocate for developing and leading values-led teams. He has a track record of successfully recruiting teams, supporting organisational change programmes, and delivering complex projects. He knows first-hand the difference inspiring and thoughtful leadership can make.
Past achievements include overseeing the customer service aspects of the 2014 'Poppies' installation at the Tower of London, managing the delivery of the 2012 Olympic cycling time trial at Hampton Court Palace, and delivering the accessible queue for the lying-in-state of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, for which he received the British Empire Medal.
Outside work, David is a Trustee of both Painshill Park Trust and the Museum of the Broads. This gives him valuable insight into governance structures and the challenges of managing historic Georgian Landscapes and vintage steamboats.
He is a keen hiker, avid reader and passable runner who spends much of his downtime pandering to the needs of his incredibly demanding dog, Milo.
David holds a Master's in Heritage Management from Birmingham University, a Bachelor's in History from the University of Wales, Swansea, and a smartphone overloaded with pictures of great days out.
