Case study: Chair recruitment | The Orchard Project

Starting in London in 2009, The Orchard Project’s vision is to bring thriving orchards into the heart of every urban community. They focus on working with communities in areas of deprivation where they can make the most difference in people’s lives. Through their orchards they build stronger communities and create climate-resilient greenspaces where communities can take positive, practical action to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Brief.

As a national charity, The Orchard Project has reach but is also small enough to be very agile in its decision making. The incoming Chair needed to make a huge difference in bringing about positive change for people, places and the planet. This person needed to be able to balance the risks with the opportunities, drive the development and delivery of the vision for their future and support Trustees to do the same. We were looking for a confident leader and communicator, with strong interpersonal skills who would be comfortable acting as an ambassador for The Orchard Project. Peridot was engaged to find senior leaders who could balance a range of advocacy, stakeholder engagement, partnership building, income generation, influencing and innovatory thinking; and importantly bring the foresight, credibility and experience to lead the organisation forward.

Process.

Peridot worked in close partnership with the CEO and board to create a recruitment campaign that would attract inclusive and collaborative leaders from a variety of relevant backgrounds. Our targeted search focused on potential candidates with experience in local food sustainability, community cohesion, inclusion and equality, health & wellbeing, biodiversity net gain and green infrastructure, and action for the climate and nature emergency. During our engagement we also assessed the suitability so when presenting the longlist of final candidates, we highlighted candidates that met both experience and values and cultural fit.

Outcome.

The overall response to our campaign was hugely positive, and we were delighted to present the board with a strong field of candidates from diverse backgrounds that met the brief. The successful candidate was an accomplished senior leader with a wealth of experience championing sustainability. As UK Vice President, Sustainable Futures at an innovative Management consultancy firm she had blazed the trail for developing a global sustainability, helping organisations to become more sustainable and direct resources to where they can be most impactful.We are delighted to have partnered with The Orchard Project and are confident that in their new Chair they are well placed to achieve every future success.