Starfish Search combines specialist Board Practice with an authentic and proven commitment to appointing, shaping and developing resilient, vibrant and inclusive board cultures where boards are in touch with the populations they serve.
As a team of professionals united through a common aspiration to make a positive difference to society, our consultants use their integrity, insight, skill and practical experience to build and develop diverse and empowered non-executive teams.
We combine the tried and tested with new and emerging thinking. Our firm was created to deploy all of our professional experience in a way that is uniquely forward-thinking: we’re set up to understand the shifting pressures on organisations and their non-executive teams in an uncertain world and to put back into our markets everything we learn from the collective experiences of our clients.
Our trademark approach is nuanced, analytical and insight led. We understand how board culture and organisational heritage can affect the pace and mode of development from board to board, and how a board’s formality, focus and strategic reach can impact on individual suitability.
Our focus is on people and dynamics, achieving results by paying attention to the specifics of every brief and tailoring our approach to suit it. We don’t do formulaic governance reviews. We invest time in understanding an organisation’s strategic cycle, culture and priorities to get to the heart of the brief. And we aren’t afraid to challenge: our high levels of personal and professional credibility mean we can shine a light on the blind spots that hold boards back.
Placement rates for our non-executive Board Practice are 98.4% based on almost 200 appointments. We frequently exceed the brief and we hold high levels of repeat business with a significant proportion of assignments introduced through recommendation.
Thought leadership is coproduced with our client community: our 2022 report The post-pandemic Board: a new collaborative endeavour underlined our commitment to drawing on the wealth of information around us to guide and support boards. Click here to view.
Starfish Search is an accredited supplier under the ESPO Framework Agreement and the Crown Commercial Services Recruitment Services Framework for Non-Executive and Public Appointments.
Any of the following services are available standalone or can be purchased in conjunction with others for more substantial programmes of development:
If you are looking for your first Non-Executive/ Trustee role, please see our 50 NEDS page for lots of practical hints and tips!
Their thorough understanding of the marketplace underpins an ability to deliver a brief efficiently and effectively no matter how detailed or specialised. Their business model is such that clients will have the attention of highly experienced consultants throughout the process.
I have broad experience working with senior headhunters and felt especially well looked after by you and your team. I was particularly impressed by the way you personally represented our organisation.
You were, clearly, fully on top of the brief, and had also got under the skin of the values and tone of us as well as the commercial aspects of the role. I think you did a fine job for them and for me.
I have worked with Starfish Search in the context of several organisations. Having been involved in senior appointments for 25 years, I love working with Starfish because they are better than anyone else at getting to the heart of an organisation’s needs.
Their playback of our needs and subsequent production of a brief are second to none. On every assignment they have demonstrated an intuitive understanding of the drivers and values that influence the diverse candidate communities they are searching in.
I have watched Starfish go from strength to strength and make some truly excellent appointments. Your ability to reach high calibre and quality candidates is well known and can only be down to the end knowledge and professionalism of you and your excellent team.
We sought to add specific specialisms and diversify our board in terms of characteristics and lived experience. Starfish, through their highly experienced search team and extensive networks, fully met the search brief and we are delighted with the result.
Starfish have worked closely with us on several briefs and for each appointment and have attracted some great candidates. Their assessment of candidates and the information provided to us has been first-class and we have felt very confident about their judgement.
What impresses me most about the team at Starfish Search is the ethical foundation on which they are built and which drives all that they do. They have a strong commitment to their clients and to effective delivery. I have a real sense that this firm cares about customer satisfaction.
We canvased a few different firms prior to selecting Starfish and were struck by the approach Starfish took. There was a real sense of ownership and responsibility displayed, with a determination to really drill into what skills and capabilities we needed for each role.
Whether dealing with a client or a candidate the Starfish interim team is always extremely diligent and professional in their approach. They are highly skilled, listen well, engages fully with the brief, responds promptly and provides excellent briefings and assessments.
Their work is always to the highest standard and they go above and beyond to ensure they are responsive. As a client, I have always found the team to be thoughtful and intuitive in their approach to the brief, sourcing a good mix of candidates.
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