Interim Chief Information Officer, Saxon Weald
Saxon Weald was preparing for a significant period of leadership and organisational change, with a sizeable recruitment plan spanning both interim and permanent appointments. Rather than simply replacing existing roles, the client wanted to use the transition to design a broader Executive Director of Culture, Strategy and Transformation position. The proposed remit would bring together people and culture, strategic and technical HR, strategy delivery, IT and the IT change programme, data, and occupational health and safety.
The Challenge
The immediate challenge was to maintain leadership momentum while shaping a new executive model for the longer term. The existing Executive Director of Strategy and Transformation was due to leave, while the Assistant Director of HR was also departing. The timing created short-term disruption, but also gave Saxon Weald the opportunity to redesign its senior leadership structure around the organisation's future needs.
The new executive brief was deliberately broader than the role already in place. Saxon Weald needed someone capable of operating across culture, people, strategy, transformation, technology and data rather than bringing strength in only one functional area.
Timing also required careful judgement. The current executive incumbent was expected to work a three-month notice period, but the client was open to exploring flexibility if the right interim candidate could accelerate progress. At the point of the initial conversation, the budget had not yet been fixed, so the first priority was to test the market against the scope of the role and understand what a credible interim solution could look like.
The Solution
Because Neemar Search already understood the housing leadership market and had recently been speaking with senior executives whose backgrounds aligned closely with the emerging brief, the team was able to respond immediately.
During the initial briefing conversation, Neemar identified two potential interim leaders for an early market test. The first had recent executive-level responsibility across business services and people and culture within a large housing organisation, alongside previous experience in a smaller housing association. The second brought senior people, change and organisational development experience, including seven years with a major housing provider and an earlier career in retail.
Rather than waiting for a fully finalised job description or budget, Neemar recommended beginning with exploratory conversations. This would allow Saxon Weald to assess the calibre and fit of available interim leaders, compare two credible profiles and use those discussions to help refine the eventual scope, timing and commercial parameters of the appointment.
Neemar also agreed to connect Saxon Weald with its permanent search team so that the longer-term recruitment for both the Head of People and Culture and Executive Director of Culture, Strategy and Transformation could begin in parallel.
The Outcome
Two interviews took place following the initial briefing. One candidate was selected and offered the interim appointment, joining Saxon Weald just two weeks after the initial briefing call. The speed of the process enabled the organisation to move quickly from identifying an emerging leadership need to having experienced interim support in place.
The early value of the partnership was the ability to move from an emerging organisational challenge to credible market options within a single conversation. By understanding the housing executive market and recognising how individual leadership backgrounds mapped to Saxon Weald's evolving structure, Neemar Search was able to provide immediate options while giving the client space to shape the final role around the right leadership capability.
More Case Studies
Lets Connect
- info@neemarsearch.com
- Neemar Search
Find UsUnit 6 Lyon Road
Harrow
HA1 2BY
United KingdomView on Google Maps