Here is the full case study in clean markdown, followed by the two extra items.

Finding the right CEO for Basingstoke Counselling Service

About the client

Basingstoke Counselling Service (BCS) is a registered mental health charity based in Hampshire, with a history stretching back to 1985. Their mission is a straightforward but vital one: to make quality counselling, training, and professional development accessible and affordable for local adults and couples.

What makes BCS particularly admirable is their financial independence. They operate without Government funding, reinvesting every penny of income directly back into their work. That kind of commitment to community means that whoever leads the organisation needs to truly understand what is at stake, not just as an executive, but as someone who gets the human side of mental health support.

The brief

When BCS approached Charisma Charity Recruitment, they were clear about what they needed. A CEO, yes. But not just any CEO. They wanted someone who could lead with confidence and authority while also bringing genuine clinical capability and understanding to the role.

That combination is rarer than it sounds. Strong executives with a background in mental health practice represent a genuinely competitive space, and finding the right person required more than posting a job advert and waiting to see who applied.

How we approached it

Our talent manager got to work quickly, sourcing a total of 91 individuals across a four-week campaign. From that pool, nine candidates applied and were thoroughly vetted by our lead consultant.

Every one of those nine progressed to an in-depth vetting interview. This was not a tick-box exercise. Each conversation was designed to assess not only leadership credentials but also the clinical understanding that BCS had made central to their brief. We wanted to be confident that anyone we put forward would genuinely meet both dimensions of the role.

The interview process was robust and inclusive, ensuring every candidate considered could speak to both the executive leadership requirements and the charity's specific desire for clinical experience.

From those nine interviews, five candidates were submitted to the client for consideration. All five were invited to interview, a testament to the quality of the shortlist and the clarity we had developed around the brief.

The outcome

From the five interviews, BCS shortlisted two final candidates. Crucially, both had clinically trained backgrounds, which aligned directly with the charity's strategic focus and long-term vision for the organisation.

That result matters. It is one thing to find candidates who look good on paper. It is another to deliver a final shortlist where every person genuinely reflects what the client was looking for, right down to the specialist experience that makes this particular role so distinctive.

The entire campaign was completed within four weeks, demonstrating that a thorough, quality-driven process does not have to mean a slow one.

What this appointment means

For a charity like BCS, appointing the right CEO is about much more than filling a vacancy. This is the person who will shape the culture, sustain the financial model, and ultimately determine how many people in Hampshire get access to the support they need.

Finding a leader who brings both the strategic capability to run a growing charity and the clinical grounding to understand its work from the inside is no small thing. We are proud to have played a part in that.

Work with us

At Charisma Charity Recruitment, we specialise in finding exceptional leaders for mission-driven organisations. Whether you are searching for a CEO, a trustee, or a senior specialist, we bring the same care, rigour, and genuine understanding of the charity sector to every assignment.

If you have a leadership appointment on the horizon and would like to talk it through, we would love to hear from you.

Get in touch with the Charisma team