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.
If you have any questions or issues, please email aspiringCEO@starfishsearch.com to get in touch with someone from the Starfish Search team.
What You’ll Learn in This Interactive Session
Why Attend?
Who Should Attend?
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a competitive edge in your Non-Executive Director portfolio career. Reserve your spot today and take the first step toward extraordinary boardroom success.
The Starfish Board Practice produces topical, insight-led reviews from time to time on a range of different subjects. Our ‘state of the market’ updates aim to share insights that guide thinking for organisations considering securing new non-executives, and for individuals thinking about securing a non-executive appointment on a charity board.
Almost 50% of all appointments handled by Starfish in the Social and Public Policy sectors are non-executive. These include Chairs and Committee Chairs; Senior Independent Directors, Trustees, Governors, Council Members and Non-executive Directors; Co-optees and Panel and Advisory Board members, and Presidents. We hold a 98.3% first time placement rate on around 400 non-executive appointments, including 80 chairs, most of which are pro bono appointments. At any one time over 30% of people we place tell us that they are bringing diverse experiences to the role.
This report looks into –
You can download the full report here – Charity Non-Executive: State of the Market Update Report
Get in touch with our board practice at info@starfishsearch.com to learn more about how Starfish Search can support your leadership journeys.
Starfish Search is an executive search business that was created to change the world through human talent and we know that the right change must be driven by the right people. In close collaboration with each of our clients, we bring expertise, dedication and fierce commitment to authentic diversity as we search together for tomorrow’s leaders.
With offices nationwide, we offer a broader regional overview of our sectors and richer, more inclusive connections to the strongest global leaders within the UK and beyond. Whether it’s senior leadership talent, nonexecutive directors or interim managers that you need, Starfish help’s our clients to find the right leaders for today’s changing world. We have now made our 1,000th appointment since we started trading in 2019 and have recently celebrated our fifth birthday. With a team of 36 colleagues committed to recruiting to organisations with social purpose and a great story to tell, we feel quite unique in a crowded recruitment market. We work across different sectors, including influential trade bodies, regulators, local authorities, NHS and charity household brands. With strong advisory credentials, our work is firmly grounded in quality of professional advice, insight and partnership.
As a fast-growing executive search and interim management firm, we are a strong and close-knit team united in our aspiration to make a positive difference to society. We’re looking for new colleagues who can bring experience of working in a service-delivery environment or who want to use professional experience gained in another setting to develop into a leading recruiter of the future. As Assistant Consultant, you can expect to play a vital role supporting and co-ordinating all aspects of successful assignment delivery, from scheduling to candidate liaison and search support.
Main Responsibilities
Closing date – 18th November 2024
You can download the full job pack here – Assistant Consultant Candidate Pack 2024
To make an application, please email your CV and Covering Letter outlining how you meet the knowledge, skills, experience and behaviors as outlined in the Role Profile to our Head of People, Harpreet O’Brien, at harpreet.obrien@starfishsearch.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
Starfish Search is a Disability Confident employer, committed to building a diverse and inclusive business that supports people to reach their full potential. We will continue to enhance our knowledge, skills and confidence required to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled colleagues in our workplace. We want to ensure that disabled colleagues have opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. We encourage applicants to share information about any disabilities they have and we are happy to put in place reasonable adjustments to support applications and interviews.
Our recent Embrace Your Impostor webinar hosted with our partners at CityCV, brought together a highly insightful session, led by Victoria McLean, CEO and Founder of CityCV. Convened by Sandra Farquharson, the Director of HR and OD at Hackney Council and vice president of PPMA, the webinar shared key insight into the understanding and combating of the often pervasive feelings of self-doubt that affect many professionals. This interactive webinar highlighted real-life case studies, expert advice, and practical tips, aiming to provide our guests with practical solutions and tools to manage as well as leverage imposter syndrome for their growth and development.
Top 10 Takeaways from the Session
The webinar was an eye-opening session that resonated deeply with participants. By addressing imposter syndrome openly and providing strategic takeaways, the session offered valuable resources and encouragement for professionals dealing with self-doubt. As Sandra Farquharson aptly put it, embracing growth, learning, and progress is fundamental to overcoming these challenges and achieving true professional and personal fulfillment. To learn more about Starfish Search and how we can help, get in touch with the team today.
With over 1 billion users in 200 countries, LinkedIn is the #1 social media site for hiring professionals. An incredible 97% of headhunters use LinkedIn as their primary candidate source, even more so for senior hires. However you may feel about social media, you cannot afford to neglect your LinkedIn profile.
Making it on to the shortlist for a top Non-Executive Director (NED) role is a demanding process. Your LinkedIn profile, along with your CV, will be one of the make-or-break components. Victoria will show you how to use your LinkedIn profile to refine your non-executive brand, elevate your gravitas, move up the rankings, prove your ROI, showcase your expertise, and expand your network in a competitive market.
In this one hour masterclass, you will learn tips and strategies from Victoria McLean, CEO of Hanover Talent Solutions and award-winning, international career consultancy City CV. Victoria is a career industry expert, award-winning Board CV writer and coach, who has helped over 30,000 candidates secure their dream role. Victoria has developed a nuanced and strategic approach, which fuses market knowledge with a deep understanding of recruitment techniques to help build your personal brand and create a compelling LinkedIn profile.
Date: 12th November 2024
Time: 1:00pm / 13:00
Starfish has worked with our contacts and colleagues in local government to create a list of talented housing officers, which has been featured in the MJ magazine.
Starfish and MJ top talent - housingOn this month’s edition of Starfish Sessions, Lorraine Payne sits down with Matin Miah, Regeneration & Development Specialist to discuss balancing an interim career in the public sector alongside running a successful food and restaurant business, the lessons that he learned and what he would do differently with hindsight.
Please do introduce yourself: Who you are with a brief Summary of your career?
I’m Matin Miah, I’ve been in the regeneration industry for nearly 30 years, primarily in local government. I began my career in East London and spent the first 22 years of my career working in a variety of permanent positions, and since 2017 I have been an interim manager, with my most recent role as Assistant Director, Regeneration & Economic Development at London Borough of Hackney.
What led you to move into the interim market?
In 2015, I opened my first restaurant and spent first couple of years juggling the business and my full-time, permanent role but it was clear this wasn’t sustainable, so I made the decision to focus solely on the restaurant business and at the time I thought I was done with regeneration.
It was very daunting to step away from this career, but I knew I wanted to grow the restaurant business, so I spent one year focusing solely on that. To my surprise I found I was missing local government, all the networks I’d built over the years. I never felt fulfilled focusing entirely on Rudie’s so I started reconnecting with colleagues and managed to secure a 3 day per week interim assignment which allowed me to split my week between the two ventures.
Initially it was difficult to manage the two alongside one another but I was very open and honest with my client about the business I had, I found that it’s important to manage their expectations from the outset.
Can you tell us more about what inspired you to open your first restaurant?
I love food, my dad was a chef and I loved cooking at home. While I was working in local government, I was dabbling with the idea of being a chef myself but the finances just didn’t work out.
My wife’s parents are from Jamaica and I remember when we first met she told me if the marriage was going to last I would have to fall in love with Jamaica and that wasn’t hard to do at all! I fell in love with the food and culture. After returning from frequent visits to Jamaica I was always craving jerked chicken and I couldn’t find anywhere good back in London, a place to chill and have a good time with good Jamaican food, drink & music (the island vibe!).
We came together and thought why not open a Jamaican restaurant? I still remember the moment where we sat down and it came together. It was the weekend of Notting Hill Carnival and everyone went but I stayed at home to write the first one page business plan. It took me one year from then to the point where we opened our first restaurant in Dalston, Hackney. It was a true labour of love, I had some great people, good chefs and a good team.
Can you talk us through your mindset behind taking a career break to develop your restaurant brand?
We changed our business plan from restaurant to street food which led us to grow from 2 sites to 9 sites in a short space of time. I knew I couldn’t focus to the best of my ability on both things, I was working 9-5 at a council and then 5-10pm at the restaurant. I felt I needed to go all in to truly realise the potential of the business.
You are now back working as an interim manager, how have you managed to juggle your interim career while running a business?
After 9 years in business, I’ve learnt you can either be very operational and let it consume you, or you can build a business where you’re the owner and provide a strategic overview but create a good team underneath you.
It’s hard to let go, it’s my baby but I learned if I wanted to enjoy my life it’s what I had to do. I learned that a key part of my job as a CEO is recruitment – to hire the best people and let them get on with it. We try to create an atmosphere where people can develop and grow and feel part of the family. It’s a real team effort.
The biggest thing I learned that improved my quality of life in business is not to micro manage and always be sweating over the small things.
How do you manage the workload and pressure that comes with both roles?
Compartmentalising has been important. Recently I completed a senior interim role working mostly 3 days a week, but it was actually a 5-day job working compressed hours. I had to work smart; I trusted my team to deliver because I knew I had limited time. I put myself at a level where I can add value and I trusted my senior managers to deliver against their objectives.
It’s given me clarity about the sort of roles I now go forward for. With the operations in place with my business and the right structure and brief in place for interim roles, that really helps.
You now have Rudie’s open across a number of sites. Are there more plans to expand further? What’s next?
Over the last 9 years we’ve managed to open 15 sites (and some closing inevitably). We restructured the business in February and rebranded to Dub Pan. We have a smaller portfolio of 5 locations now, some are restaurants and some are concessions in food halls. We also do a selection of music festivals in the summer. I’m not in a race to grow to a maximum number of sites anymore, it has to fit with my lifestyle, work and business.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about a start-up business?
All business owners to some extent need to not be phased by the challenges. You need a sense of being headstrong and have the confidence to take leaps.
What I wouldn’t have done with hindsight is perhaps open my first restaurant in the same location / premises having to spend so much on lease and fitout, as I now know it could have been done a lot cheaper. I think I was a bit impatient; and emotionally driven by the idea of my dream restaurant. Now we do street food, stalls and festivals. I spent a lot of money with those who were “experts” and at the time I considered it necessary but looking back it probably wasn’t. Starting small and scaling up is the right approach, build a base and foundation rather than trying to run before you can walk.
What’s proudest moment of your career?
Despite the risks & challenges, opening my first restaurant without a doubt. It was a huge labour of love. To do that whilst working full time in a different industry and taking that challenge was one of the bravest things I’ve ever done.
Professionally, delivering the New Deal for Communities programme in Ocean Estate. I was only in my 20s, it was a high profile regeneration job in Tower Hamlets and I really wanted to make a difference. I was given the opportunity to lead on a £200m regeneration scheme in a deprived neighbourhood, similar to where I grew up. It was extremely challenging but at the end it has made some big difference to the community.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
If I hadn’t gone down the business route, I would have undoubtedly been far more ambitious on my own growth within local government.
However, I’m pleased I followed my passion and stayed motivated. If I was in the same position, I’d have done the same thing again, maybe I would’ve done it sooner. I had thought and spoken about it for a long time and the longer you stay somewhere, your lifestyle becomes fixed, so it’s hard to break away from that. If there is something you want to do – go for it, sooner rather than later.
Ending on a fun question, what would you recommend from Dub Pan’s menu?
We’re famous for our jerk. To get our own formula right, we travelled across Jamaica visiting many of the best ‘jerk centres’ on the island. They have massive charcoal pits where they cook jerk chicken, pork, anything you can think of. The food that comes out of it is incredible, and we wanted to replicate that as closely as we can based on Jamaican tradition. It’s food I love and I never get bored of it.
On Wednesday 11th September, as the digital lead for Local Government at Starfish Search, Rosalind Lambert had the pleasure of attending Reimagining London’s Public Services with Tech, Data & Innovation at the IET. It was an incredible event with Eddie Copeland, Director at LOTI, as key speaker.
Eddie gave a great lecture on the future of Local Government and how using data and technology to innovate we can really improve lives of our communities, as long as the people, the users, are taken along on this journey. Tech is not just a waving a magical wand and implementing a new system, especially where digital poverty exists. We need to be able to firstly lift our communities out digital poverty before innovation can truly happen. Additionally, it is important that Borough’s work together, sharing ideas, data, costs and innovations as the solutions affect all Londoner’s as relatively few citizens live and work in one Borough and this is where LOTI has its maximum impact.
That said, innovation and the art of imagination of what we can do has started to have positive returns. The South London Partnership is using IOT sensors for preventative measures for flooding, RBKC are using generative AI to assess and prioritise resident spotted graffiti for cleaning, Brent is starting to use AI to write up case notes in social care freeing up valuable time, and Harrow is using a visual AI tool to reconcile advertising hoardings with business rates, resulting in capturing lost revenue. Outside of London Swindon has reduced its translation costs by 99% through using Google Translate and has increased public engagement by being able to communicate in citizen’s native language.
Against a background of cost cutting there are some great ideas and innovations taking place not only in the capital with this month Sunderland City Council’s Digital Inclusion Programme winning the Community Improvement Award at the Connected Britain Awards. Sunderland have helped over 200,000 residents’ access vital digital services and have doubled full-fibre connectivity across Sunderland in just 12 months. Long may it continue.
Should you wish to have a chat about your digital transformation journey, please contact the team at info@starfishsearch.com.