Dame Julie Mellor
I have worked with Starfish Search in the context of several organisations. I Chair two cross party think tanks (Demos and the Young Foundation) and the Skills Federation (an employer led sector skills trade body) and I sit on the boards of two public involvement charities (Engage Britain and Involve). All five organisations have used Starfish Search for either Board or Executive search and selection, almost always through a competitive process. 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 at the particular point in its strategic cycle and organisational development. 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 and are well able to persuade candidates outside of mainstream talent pools to apply. Their advice is clear and grounded in practical experience. Their compact business model and advisory approach means they have a grip on progress and reporting and are personally available to advise as the search progresses.
2025 Budget
We wrote to 400 leaders to ask them for a reaction to last week’s Budget. Here’s what they said.
Funding Crises and the Search for Financially Resilient Leaders
Councils in England are under systemic strain. The Bennett School of Public Policy estimates a collective funding gap of £9.3 billion over the next few years, with most authorities forecast to operate in deficit. Meanwhile, Grant Thornton warns that up to 40% of councils could face financial failure within five years without new income or deeper cuts.
Statutory Officers Under Pressure: Leading in a Fluctuating Political Environment
Statutory officers have always been central to the integrity and stability of local government. Today, their roles are under unprecedented strain. Political volatility, heightened scrutiny, constrained resources, and rising public expectations have created a more complex and demanding environment than ever before.
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.
Join the starfish team
We hire people who bring insight, integrity and ambition to their work. If you’re ready to contribute to shaping the future of leadership and you want to explore our current opportunities please click the link below.
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