Chief Customer Officer, Magenta Living
Magenta Living began this search with an open question rather than a preferred answer: who could lead the next phase of its customer journey with the credibility to operate at Executive level, respond to new consumer regulation and understand the realities of Wirral? The Chief Customer Officer role formed part of an Executive restructure. Neemar Search was appointed to test the external market, assess internal candidates and give Magenta confidence that its final decision reflected the best available leadership talent.
The Challenge
Magenta Living manages nearly 13,000 homes, and houses almost 10% of Wirral’s population. Its Road to 2030 strategy includes clear customer commitments, including 90% customer satisfaction and 50% of enquiries being handled digitally. The new Chief Customer Officer would oversee services including neighbourhood management, community safety, income, complaints, allocations, supported housing, the contact centre and social impact.
The appointment therefore carried considerable organisational risk. New consumer regulation was placing greater scrutiny on service standards, complaints, customer insight and accountability. Magenta needed a leader who could turn strategic ambition into a coherent customer approach while contributing fresh thinking to the Executive Team.
Location added another dimension. Magenta is closely connected to the communities it serves, so candidates needed to understand more than the national housing context. They had to appreciate the local landscape, the political dynamics of the Liverpool City region, and the importance of Magenta’s position as a community-based organisation in Wirral.
There was also a credible internal candidate who brought detailed organisational knowledge and experience spanning frontline housing, service quality, customer operations, technology and transformation. His candidacy needed to be considered alongside a genuine external field rather than through a process designed to confirm an internal succession decision.
As this was Magenta’s first appointment with Neemar Search, the search also had to establish trust quickly. The organisation needed clear market evidence, honest advice and a shortlist that allowed it to compare different leadership backgrounds without losing sight of its local context or customer priorities.
The Solution
Neemar Search began with an extensive market mapping exercise, identifying leaders whose experience covered customer services, neighbourhood delivery, complaints, digital improvement, regulation and Executive-level influence.
The search was built around the real demands of the appointment. We tested candidates on their understanding of customer journeys, their ability to use insight to improve services and their awareness of the political and community context surrounding Magenta.
Location and commitment to Wirral were addressed early so that the process did not progress candidates whose circumstances or motivations were unlikely to support a successful appointment.
The internal candidate was assessed through the same evidence-led process as the external candidates, and their knowledge of Magenta was considered alongside his ability to bring new ideas, challenge existing thinking and step into an Executive role.
Within four weeks, Neemar presented a shortlist of seven candidates. This gave Magenta meaningful choice across different leadership profiles and provided a clear external benchmark against which the internal candidate could be evaluated.
The quality of the field also uncovered talent beyond the original brief. Magenta identified another candidate whose contribution could strengthen the organisation and created an additional position as a direct result of the search.
The Outcome
Following the competitive process, the internal candidate, Steven Nichol was appointed Chief Customer Officer. His appointment gave Magenta continuity of organisational knowledge without closing the door to external challenge. Steven understood the existing customer and transformation agenda, but his selection followed a full search that tested his readiness against seven shortlisted candidates.
The search also produced a wider organisational return. Another candidate made such a strong impression that Magenta created an additional role, extending the value of the campaign beyond the original Chief Customer Officer appointment.
The Impact
Magenta secured a Chief Customer Officer who already understood its strategy, systems and communities, but whose appointment had been validated through a competitive external search.
The process reduced the risk of treating internal knowledge as the only measure of readiness. It gave the organisation a direct comparison across seven shortlisted candidates and demonstrated that the appointment stood up against the wider market.
The search also delivered an unexpected leadership benefit. A second candidate brought such relevant capability that Magenta created an additional position, turning one Executive campaign into two organisational appointments.
For a first partnership between Magenta and Neemar, the result established a clear foundation: honest market testing, informed decision-making and a candidate experience designed to help people perform at their best.
Candidate Testimonial
"The team provided exceptional support throughout my recruitment journey. From the outset, they kept me fully informed, delivered on every commitment they made, and ensured I always knew what to expect at each stage of the process. The level of support, reassurance and guidance they provided was invaluable. It gave me the confidence to focus on performing at my best throughout the interviews, assessments and panel stages. Neemar represented Magenta Living exceptionally well. Their approach reflected the values and culture I now experience as part of the organisation, which gave me confidence that they genuinely understood both the business and what success would look like for candidates. Neemar excelled in all areas of the process and I would highly recommend them to any organisation seeking a recruitment partner that combines professionalism, integrity and genuine candidate care."
“The recent Executive Recruitment campaign that we have partnered with Neemar for our new Chief Customer Officer clearly demonstrated why they have built such a strong reputation within the sector. From the outset, the process was thoughtful, well-managed and highly professional, with a strong understanding of both the technical requirements of the role and the broader organisational fit we were seeking. The campaign was delivered with pace, transparency and attention to detail throughout. Communication was clear and consistent, candidate engagement was of a high quality, and the market insight provided gave us confidence at every stage of the process. What stood out most was Neemar’s ability to combine professionalism with a genuinely collaborative approach. Overall, the process was straightforward, well organised and extremely positive from start to finish. We would have no hesitation in working with the Neemar team again on future appointments”.
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