Navigating the CEO Journey: From Accidental to Adaptive Leadership in the Charity Sector
Starfish is dedicated to supporting leaders at every stage of their journey and we know that one of the hardest steps is how to go about finding the right opportunity, and what to expect when you get your first chief executive role. We are pleased to be running a webinar for our new Aspiring Chief Executives programme:
Navigating the CEO Journey: From Accidental to Adaptive Leadership in the Charity Sector” led by Ciara Eastell OBE
1pm – 2pm on Wednesday 12th March.
In this lunchtime session, Ciara will share her journey from “Accidental CEO” to adaptive leader in the social sector. Drawing on personal experience as well as research with other CEOs, she explores the unexpected path to CEO leadership and the principles of Adaptive Leadership.
The talk will cover embracing uncertainty, developing a growth mindset, and balancing mission-driven goals with operational realities. Aspiring CEOs will gain insights on skill development, mentorship, and creating a personal brand aligned with social impact. Ciara concludes with practical strategies for transitioning from senior manager to CEO in the social sector.
Our speaker
Ciara Eastell OBE is an experienced coach, consultant and facilitator working with CEOs and senior leaders from across the charity, cultural and HE sectors. She was previously CEO of Libraries Unlimited, a local authority spinout established in 2016 as an independent charity.
Register here
If you have any questions or issues, please email aspiringCEO@starfishsearch.com to get in touch with someone from the Starfish Search team.
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ACCREDITATIONS
ESPO is a public sector owned professional buying organisation (PBO), specialising in providing a wide range of goods and services to the public sector for over 40 years. Starfish Search has been awarded a place on ESPO’s Strategic HR Services framework (3S). Services we offer under the framework include: Lot 1, Executive and Managerial Interim Recruitment Lot 2, Executive and Managerial Permanent Recruitment.
Starfish are proud to be certified Disability Confident Committed. This scheme provides employers with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace.
Crown Commercial Service supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2020/21, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to £2.04bn - supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers. Starfish Search has been named as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s Executive and Non-Executive recruitment. Services we offer under the framework include: Lot 3 - Non-Executive and Public Appointments.
Bloom, launched in 2012 is the UK’s leading marketplace for professional services. They provide an end-to-end solution for the procurement, contract management and payment of all professional services, via the compliant NEPRO³ framework. Their public sector clients have access to 20 professional services categories and over 4500 accredited suppliers. Bloom provides swift routes to market via either direct award or mini competition. Starfish is an accredited supplier to BLOOM; our services can be accessed via this framework - Executive and Non-Executive Search and Interim Management.
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