At Charisma Charity Recruitment, we pride ourselves on finding the right people for the right roles. That's why we were thrilled when New Theatre Royal Portsmouth approached us in Spring 2022 to help them find a new Chair of Trustees.

The brief was challenging but exciting: we needed to find someone who could lead the development of a new vision for the theatre, guide the production of an Annual Business Plan, oversee financial and operational performance, and liaise with a complex network of partners. We were looking for someone with a passion for the arts, previous experience working with leading funders and the skills and experience necessary to help shape the theatre's future while leading the organisation and Board to reach its full creative potential.

We knew that finding such a person would be no mean feat. But at Charisma, we're not afraid of a challenge. We started by making direct approaches to individuals with the required skill sets via our extensive database and relevant networks. We also made cold approaches to the wider market to engage high-quality candidates and bring them into the process.

Our proactive approach was accompanied by a robust advertising and marketing campaign that helped bring the role and organisation to life. We wanted every potential candidate to understand what an exciting opportunity this was.

Our efforts paid off - engagement came from across Portsmouth, regionally and nationally. We focused on attracting candidates who were experienced as trustees or had held former chair roles in arts/heritage/culture sectors. At the same time, we widened our net to engage senior leaders from appropriate sectors.

We screened each candidate thoroughly before inviting them for an interview, vetting them against our clients' requirements. Due to this challenging brief, two rounds of recruitment had to be conducted. But in line with our terms, the second round was at no further cost to New Theatre Royal Portsmouth.

We interviewed four shortlisted candidates who all brought diverse talents and skills sets; it was tough deciding between them! However, we were ultimately successful in securing a new Chair of Trustees who was perfect for the role.

Following our successful partnership, New Theatre Royal Portsmouth appointed Charisma to secure three new trustees for the organisation - fundraising, health and safety, and governance. We're proud of the work we've done with New Theatre Royal Portsmouth, helping them to find the right people to drive their organisation forward.

At Charisma Charity Recruitment, we're passionate about finding the right candidates for our clients. We believe that by taking a proactive approach and going above and beyond what's expected, we can make a real difference to charities' lives. If you're looking for help with your recruitment campaign or want to know more about our services, get in touch today!