Royal Family Taps Search Firm to Find CEO
September 15, 2023 – Kensington Palace has engaged Odgers Berndtson to find a CEO to lead the household reporting directly to the Prince and Princess of Wales. It has released a job description which stresses the unique nature of the role. Prince William and Catherine are said by sources to have led this decision to hire a search firm to fill this position. Odgers Berndtson’s Sarah Lowndes Jones is spearheading the assignment.
A source told the British tabloid Daily Mail’s Eden Confidential column that this is a “revolutionary move.” Said the source: “They are overthrowing the traditional, hierarchical structure in which staff answer to private secretaries. It has really set the cat among the pigeons. Will the King and Queen have to follow their lead?”
“This is a unique opportunity,” the job specification said. “The CEO is the most senior and accountable leader for the household. “They will be responsible for the development and implementation of TRH’s long-term strategy and continuing to strengthen a professional and collaborative household culture. The successful candidate must be emotionally intelligent, with low ego, and strong self-awareness and understanding of their impact on others.”
“Anyone wanting the job must be able to operate as a servant leader, empowering the senior team,” the job specification said. “The CEO will deal directly with King Charles and Queen Camilla’s household, serving as the strategic interface to Buckingham Palace, to align The Royal Highnesses’ priorities with those in support of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen.” This individual will run a staff of roughly 60 employees.
McDermott + Bull Recruits CEO for Prince’s Trust
Irvine, CA-based search firm McDermott + Bull has placed Jessica Greer Morris as the new chief executive officer of Prince’s Trust. She will help launch the U.K.-based youth charity organization in the U.S., serving as its first CEO. The search was completed by McDermott + Bull managing director Sue Waterbury and executive recruiter Allison Cox. Ms. Morris will guide the organization through a critical stage of growth as the charity responds to the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on unemployment around the world. In establishing the U.S. location, she will create a conduit for American citizens to support the organization’s work on a global scale and will implement the program to transform the lives of unemployed youth in the U.S.
No salary is given, but it is understood that the CEO will be paid more than the couple’s private secretaries, according to the Daily Mail. This person will not answer to the private secretaries who have long held power behind the scenes at the palaces.
Proven Consultants
Odgers Berndtson delivers executive search, leadership assessment, and development strategies to organizations globally. The firm’s 250-plus partners cover more than 50 sectors and operate out of 59 offices in 29 countries. The U.S. wing of the firm launched in 2011 and has been one of the fastest growing search firms in the Americas. Odgers Berndtson has U.S. offices in Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Houston, TX; Los Angeles; Minneapolis, MN; New York; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C.
Ms. Lowndes Jones is head of practice in the not-for-profit practice. She specializes in appointments at board and senior executive level across the not-for-profit sector in the U.K. and internationally, and leads on international development and NGO recruitment. Ms. Lowndes Jones has worked exclusively with the not-for-profit sector.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
