Cirencester Friendly was established in 1890 in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Primarily formed for the benefit of local agricultural workers based in Gloucestershire, today the Society caters for the income protection needs of over 44,000 Members from all walks of life across the UK.
Cirencester Friendly’s ‘Income Assured Enhanced’ contract follows the traditional ‘Holloway Principle’ while ‘My Earnings Protected’ is a pure protection offering, with both having the option to add extra benefits.
They have grown their business sustainably and are now a significant force in the UK’s income protection market.
The Role
Cirencester Friendly came to Moon Executive Search seeking a new Company Secretary for the organisation. The role would be to provide a formal Company Secretary role to the Society as well as contributing to its management, particularly with regard to strategy and governance arrangements.
The successful candidate would also develop and maintain communications with internal and external stakeholders. The Company Secretary is responsible for ensuring that the Society’s reporting obligations including regulatory reporting are complied with. This includes the annual report and accounts, the Own Risk Solvency Assessment (ORSA) and the Business Plan.
Cirencester Friendly was seeking candidates with a proven Co-Sec background, ideally with CPD gained within a regulated or financial services sector and proven leadership, managerial and business experience gained at a senior level. The challenge was to fit this profile with someone prepared to take on a part time, flexible role.
Our Approach
At Moon Executive Search, we have a long-standing track record of successfully delivering on search mandates across the breadth of senior management and company secretarial roles within listed, regulated and financial services businesses.
Founding Director Vanessa Moon and Director of Search Simon Quinn, decided to adopt a multi-faceted national search for this role, which involved taking a detailed briefing from Andy Morris (Cirencester Friendly CEO) and Mike Hazell (Director of Human Resources), and together, we drafted a thorough briefing pack outlining their plans and aspirations.
We conducted detailed candidate interviews and gave careful consideration to all the briefing requirements prior to selecting our shortlist.
We agreed on a structured process with Mike - following our first stage interview, there was a series of meetings and presentations with the Exec and Non-Exec Board, with an additional chance to meet on-site to view the operation.
The Solution
We were delighted to support the appointment of Ranald Munro as their new Company Secretary. Ranald is a qualified Barrister. He brings big brand experience such as L’Oréal, Chubb and SCOR as well as more recently at Lombard International Assurance, based in Luxembourg.
Ranald comments about Vanessa and Simon:
‘I was impressed with the regular communication from Moon – they kept me informed and updated about the process and clearly understood their brief in detail. I would have no hesitation recommending Moon to others seeking a senior appointment’.
Moon Executive Search provide bespoke solutions for clients, using our extensive expertise and knowledge gained from twenty years of recruiting to find your perfect candidate. If you are looking to appoint a senior leader to your Board, visit Build Your Board to get started, or call us on 01275 371200.
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