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Jo Sweetland, Managing Director
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Jo Heath, Managing Partner and Head of DICE
“Championing Diversity & Inclusion since our inception, we are driven by the core belief that there’s no shortage of talent, only opportunity.”
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Kai Adams, Managing Partner
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Trevor Phillips, Chair
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Jo Sweetland, Managing Director
"Our candidate care lasts long past the point of placement and is key to the rich relationships we build from a foundation of trust, authenticity, transparency and inclusion."
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Raj Tulsiani, CEO & Co-Founder
“We founded Green Park in 2006 with a mission to change the face of leadership. We retain that same passion and entrepreneurial spirit today as when we started.”
The Requirements
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) supports organisations working to build a just society. In 2024, after a successful ten-year tenure, the current Chief Executive made the decision to retire as the organisation reached the end of its five year strategy. The philanthropic organisation needed a new Chief Executive to take the Foundation forward with a mandate to review and develop the strategy. Our expert consultants were able to find a number of highly capable candidates thanks to in-depth research and discussion with the stakeholders, who included members of the Hamlyn family. The result? A new CEO to help this successful Foundation write the next chapter in its history. Include drive to be an anti-racist funder.
- Green Park won a competitive tender
- Our consultants listened to a wide range of stakeholders
- Staff able to contribute their views via an ‘open door’ policy
- The team searched within and beyond the Foundations sector
- Five exciting, contrasted candidates were identified for Final Panel interview, from a strong field
- A CEO was chosen from a strong shortlist
The Challenge
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is a grant-giving organisation. It was created in 2001 when the publisher, Paul Hamlyn, passed away leaving asignfiant endowment to fund across five mission areas. It is now one of the largest independent grant-giving organisations in the UK, with a programme in India. However, with the Chief Executive, Moira Sinclair OBE, set to leave after 10 successful years, the Foundation needed a new leader.
The candidate had to be someone who could steer the organisation into the future and deal with myriad stakeholders, including members of the Hamlyn family who are closely involved with the Foundation. Someone who would welcome exciting, innovative thinking and respect the history of the organisation. With the Foundation’s strategy due to be renewed in 2025, there was a world of exciting possibilities.
The Process
After winning a competitive tender to source a new Chief Executive, the process began with in-depth research. Green Park’s consultants had worked with the Foundation’s Trustees before and knew them to be thoughtful and reflective. Our team spoke to each Trustee individually as well as members of staff. With an open-door policy, employees were welcome to be part of the process and share their thoughts with our team.
The resulting brief revealed a distinct set of requirements: the candidate needed the ability to work with many stakeholders, including a highly capable and engaged trustee board. They also needed to be capable of maintaining the Foundation as a thought leader in the sector – with a respected voice in the world of grant-giving.
With a firm set of requirements, our consultants went about the next stage of recruitment. They approached possible candidates in the same sector, but also those with transferable skills in other areas
The Results
With diversity built into every stage of the recruitment process, there was an exciting and varied selection. The final shortlist included four women and one man, each of whom closely fitted the role specification.
Of these five candidates, the Foundation chose Halima Khan, a respected figure in the social sector. Halima has worked for over a decade in foundations and grant-making including as a member of the England Committee at The National Lottery Community Fund and formerly as an Executive Director at Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation.
Halima has also worked at a senior level in national, regional and local government, including at the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, Greater London Authority and Camden Council, working across social policy.
Most recently, Halima worked independently, advising and working with foundations, government and think tanks. As well as her non-executive position at The National Lottery Community Fund, Halima is a member of the Public Policy Committee at the British Academy
James Lingwood
Trustee and Chair of the Nominations Committee
Green Park charted the course for appointing a new CEO for Paul Hamlyn Foundation with great thoughtfulness and care. They provided exceptional advice to the group of trustees overseeing the appointment; helping shape the brief, bringing an extraordinary range of candidates to our attention, arriving at a shortlist and making the appointment. At each stage of the process, they helped us ask the right questions and showed a remarkable instinct for stepping forward when we most needed their guidance, and then stepping away when we needed space of our own. I cannot recommend the team at Green Park more highly.
32%
Ethnic Minority Search Placements
1000+
Senior Leaders Trained By Our DICE Consultancy
96%
completion rate on executive selection
84%
candidates retained 4+ years
Case Studies
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Diversity, Inclusion, Culture and Ethics (DICE) consultancy
Green Park's mandates span the Private and Commercial and Civil Society and Government sectors, due to this many of our Executive Search and Interim roles are confidential and not advertised.
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