Ben has ten years of experience recruiting Senior Interim Managers into the Local Government sector. Working across the North and Midlands, Ben has a track record of recruiting Directors, Assistant Directors, and Heads of Service into all tiers of Local Government. He firmly believes in honesty, integrity and being a trusted adviser for both clients and candidates. He has a passion for developing relationships and supporting candidates on their recruitment journey.
Emily joined Starfish as an Assistant Consultant within our Local Government sector in December 2024 after graduating from the University of Nottingham with a distinction in her Politics and Contemporary History MA. With two politics-based degrees, a real passion for public service and a consistently up-to-date knowledge of current affairs, Emily is determined to make a positive contribution to society. Having worked in recruitment as a Resourcer for three and a half years, Emily utilises both her political knowledge with her abilities surrounding market mapping, focused candidate selection and stakeholder engagement to place the most suitable leaders into local government.
Rosalind has 20 years experience in recruitment and has specialised in Public Sector Recruitment since 2008, covering both interim and permanent positions. Previously focussed on Finance, Administration and Technology, she has led searches for executive and senior level appointments across the Public Sector, successfully filling many niche roles. She is an advocate for EDI and passionate about ensuring all candidates and clients receive a quality service. Having joined Starfish in April 2024, Rosalind is now looking forward to engaging with the Local Government sector, particularly across the Midlands and the North for interim positions.
Catherine is Head of Interim Talent at Starfish and leads the recruitment activity within this space. She has over 15 years’ experience of securing Senior Interim Managers across a broad range of sectors and for the past five years has focused predominantly on recruiting for the Not for Profit sector. Working in partnership with her clients and candidates she brings a pragmatic and authentic approach to Interim Search and is a knowledgeable and trusted advisor. Catherine specialises in partnering with organisations going though change providing impactful and dedicated Interim Managers to assist organisational development.
Ruby Joined the Interim team at Starfish in March 2023. She graduated with a Fine Art Degree from the University of Leeds in 2022, following which she began her career as an event manager and office administrator for an independent clothing company. She is especially interested in the arts and heritage sectors and hopes that in her role she will be able to help organisations achieve their goals, by placing the best possible candidates. Ruby will be working alongside Catherine Kift and Lorraine Payne as an Assistant Consultant supporting interim hires across the social sector, public policy and local government.
Luke has an extensive track record of public sector executive search, recruiting chief executives, corporate directors and board members for a wide array of clients for nearly 20 years. He works across the North and Midlands and specialises in local government appointments, which includes met, county, unitary and district councils as well as LEPs, Combined Authorities, PCCs, and other related bodies. His reputation is based upon a strong understanding of the issues facing the sector, an in-depth knowledge of the candidate pool for senior roles, and a determination to achieve the best possible outcomes for his clients. Prior to his recruitment career, Luke worked for an HE College in Leeds.
Ben has over 13 years of experience within the marketing industry having worked extensively at some of the biggest agencies in the Northwest on some of the world’s biggest brands. Ben’s experience covers a wide range of industries from advertising, education, digital and a selection of the brands that Ben was worked with include PlayStation, Kutchenhaus, Placefirst, Yushoi as well as Cognisys Cyber Security, New Balance, Boehringer Ingelheim and Flutter Entertainment. Ben has experience of building a digital agency from the unknown to the point of acquisition by the market leader, as well as experience in content curation and the rollout of a global brand to over 50 countries. Ben has earned his reputation within the industry through specialising in creative marketing strategies and brand development with a strong commercial yet creative focus.
Jonathan joined the team at Starfish in the summer of 2022. He graduated with a history degree from Leeds Metropolitan University, and has experience with many different work environments, including mortgages, investment and heritage. Always keen to find the best role for the client, he has an interest in charities and city culture, and hopes to develop his portfolio and build up strong relationships between candidates and future employees.
Graham’s early career was in the British Army where he served for nine years with tours in locations such as Germany, The Falkland Islands and Northern Ireland. He subsequently joined PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Executive Search Practice, five years later becoming Director of its regional search business. In 2002, he formed GatenbySanderson which went on to become one of the UK’s leading search firms before he sold it in late 2014. Graham has a particular interest in Board appointments and their effectiveness and also the interface between Executive Directors and their political counterparts. He is committed to supporting leaders from underrepresented groups and delivering for clients and candidates. He maintains a strong interest in people focused companies and gives support, guidance, and strategic direction to the Starfish Board.
Katy specialises in executive and non-executive leadership appointments across the social sector, including our work within arts, culture and heritage and socially responsible business. She has a strong track record and ongoing interest in supporting the transition of leadership talent between sectors and leads our work with chief executives and the development of their executive teams. Katy has worked with many leaders to help them develop outstanding, diverse boards and throughout her career has built enduring partnerships with organisations and individuals. She continues to be motivated by the variety of organisations she works with and by the positive impact their leaders can have on society.