Building a Board for the Future: How Hft Attracted New Voices to Shape its Next Chapter

When Hft first approached us about recruiting a new Chair and board of Trustees, the brief wasn't purely about improving governance or finding people with Trustee experience. It was about finding a complement of people who could bring different thinking to an organisation entering a new phase of evolution. Hft felt that their recent years of turnaround and recovery would deter applicants, although admittedly a difficult starting place, it very much shaped our approach. 

The past is as important as the present and the future 

Some might think the instinct with an organisation coming out of a financial turnaround is to smooth over the recent past and create an overly positive narrative. We did the opposite. Hft's turnaround wasn't something to talk away and sidestep; it was important, and the journey became the most interesting part of the opportunity. The hard work was coming to an end, the foundations were now stronger, and the appeal was to help shape what comes next. 

Kate Jenkins, Chief People and Culture Officer at Hft, reflected on the process: 

"Tile Hill said, 'your authenticity is part of what people like.' They gave us the courage to really share what it is really like here at Hft." 

That honesty ran through the whole campaign, from the approach calls to the webinar through to the conversations we had with people before they applied. 

Giving candidates a clear picture 

For a Trustee role, people need much more than just a job description. They need enough of an understanding of the organisation and the direction of travel to decide if there is space for them to be a part of it. 

Abdi Mohamed, one of the new Trustees, said the candidate brief gave him a strong introduction to Hft's mission and work, and that conversations with the Tile Hill team added context about the organisation and what would be expected of him. Paul Wood remarked on how helpful it was to receive the Tile Hill webinar and FAQ from Steve (CEO), alongside detailed briefings and the chance to ask questions. This all combined to give him a strong insight into Hft's recovery and the plans for the future before he even reached the interview stage. 

Dr Mairi McLean, the new Chair, and Jane Brightman, another of the newly appointed Trustees, coupled this with their own research, approaching several of their contacts across the health and social care sector. Jane said: 

"I did a fair bit of my own research, both online and as I work in social care, I was also able to speak to people across the sector. I also had the opportunity to ask as many questions as I needed of Tile Hill colleagues, and then also of Hft during my interview with them. Each conversation with Tile Hill and Hft reiterated the ethos and ensured I understood the focus that people being supported was all important to the organisation." 

Lee Bennett, CEO of The Meath Epilepsy Charity and another of the new Trustees, made a similar point about the briefing he received before joining Hft's Board: 

"David provided a powerful and knowledgeable briefing and has a genuine passion for Hft's mission and the care sector in general. The ambition of the strategy, the scale of impact, and the desire that the people supported were front and centre of the charity's mission, giving me confidence in the opportunity." 

We were keen to ensure the applicants arrived at interview already thinking about how they were going to contribute, not just whether they could do the job. 

An ambitious brief on diversity 

Hft didn't want a board that simply looked the part. They wanted a genuinely wide and contrasting set of perspectives around the table, and they were honest that this was a hard ask. As Kate put it during our conversations: 

"We know that having a varied set of voices around the table, whether that's the executive table or our board table, makes us a safer, better organisation." 

Kate described the brief as, in effect, asking us to find a diverse set of unicorns which became a fair description of the challenge ahead. Strong candidates with the right approach to governance are hard enough to find. Strong candidates with the right approach to governance and a genuinely different perspective from everyone else in the room is harder still. Stephen Veevers, Hft's Chief Executive, described the final field as the strongest, he'd seen in 27 years working in social care. 

Support through the process, not just at the start 

Abdi described the application process as clear and proportionate, and the pre-submission guidance as excellent. He also mentioned the personal support and feedback he received ahead of his interview amounted to nothing short of genuine interview training. 

Jane shared similar feedback with us about the balance we tried to strike: 

"I'm always impressed by the perfect mix of professionalism and personalisation from Tile Hill colleagues. At every stage of the recruitment process they are friendly, knowledgeable and put me at ease." 

That balance matters more in a Trustee search when people are giving their time up voluntarily, and so, for it to be worth their time, they really need to get under the skin of the organisation while having the best experience. 

A bright future for Hft 

The appointments of Dr Mairi McClean as Chair, alongside the new Trustees, bring together a genuinely broad range of experience and outlooks. What matters now is how that mix of perspectives gels and works in practice, and how the new board truly steers Hft and provides the best for the people they support. 

That was always the point of doing this kind of executive search properly. A charity going through a period of change needs a board that's willing to bring real challenge and different ways of thinking, not one that simply confirms what's already there. Getting the right people around the table was the first step. What they do with it now is the part that counts.