General Manager
The Role:
Frank Water
The Client:
The client
Frank Water came to Moon Executive Search as they were refreshing the portfolio of products and services offered by their CIC, Frank Water Enterprise, which is wholly owned by the main Charity.
They were seeking a General Manager to take ownership of all financial and operational aspects of the Frank Water Enterprise, managing company resources and leading on effective business development to ensure long term sustainability and proactive financial planning.
This role was to manage and nurture all of Frank Water’s commercial services and products including: glass bottled water, event and restaurant refill solutions, refillable water bottles and merchandise, as well as leading on the development of their corporate water stewardship programme (digital platform). In addition, this General Manager was to build new relationships and strategic and financially beneficial partnerships with global brands, event organisers, suppliers, delivery partners, stockists, and other stakeholders.
Moon Executive Search and Frank Water have enjoyed a very long-standing relationship, with Moon supporting key executive and trustee searches over many years.
The Challenge
The brief for this retained search was to identify someone with the experience and background to thrive in this varied role, adding significant value to Frank Water’s strategy and key partnerships. Key to achieving this was the ability for the General Manager (GM) to really understand the ethics and priorities of the Enterprise. The GM would have a fantastic opportunity to create change, develop policy and play an integral part in helping this well-known Bristol brand reach the next level.
Moon took time to understand the full requirements for this search from the outset. This meant delving into not only the skillset and experiences sought, but also the need for prospective candidates to demonstrate their understanding of the strategic focus for the Enterprise.
Given the above, it was essential that candidates could demonstrate sound operational and commercial leadership, ideally from a third sector organisation. So, the key thread of this search was about finding the right cultural fit and looking for someone who would really understand and appreciate the wonderful work that Frank Water undertakes.
Our Offering
The search was focused on candidates that were hands-on, proactive and could confidently work with people at all levels. Ideally, Moon sought candidates with experience within the FMCG (bottled water, merchandise) and Service (event refill) sectors and those that brought evidence of delivering sustainable growth in these markets.
We searched for candidates that could exhibit strong interpersonal skills and thrived at relationship building using tact and diplomacy, with the ability to listen and engage effectively. We were also mindful of the need for the successful candidate to support the strategic decision making and manage the day-to-day operation of the organisation, as well as become deeply involved in the identification, nurturing and development of all commercial services and partnerships.
Our experience of managing searches where the appointed candidate needs to work closely with the Board and the CEO proved invaluable in conducting this search. Following strategic reach outs, Gemma Wilks, Executive Search Consultant, conducted detailed candidate interviews, which helped her to draw out candidate motivations and suitability for appointment to the GM role. After careful consideration, she then presented a diverse shortlist of candidates for the board of the Frank Water Enterprise to consider for formal interviews.
The Solution
The board were very happy with the strong shortlisted candidates put forward by Moon Executive Search, and at the end of a thorough process, were very pleased to appoint Helen Garland as General Manager of Frank Water Enterprise. Helen brings a wealth of experience in stakeholder communications, building rapport and trust at c-suite level. She has been integral to the growth of businesses through the successful implementation of operational efficiencies and business development strategies.
Gemma Wilks, Executive Search Consultant at Moon said:
‘This was a lovely role to search on. Having worked with Katie and Frank Water previously, it was a pleasure to work with them again and support them in making this crucial appointment. We felt that Helen was a great candidate with her ability to build relationships, create strategic and financially beneficial partnerships with brands, event organisers, suppliers, delivery partners, stockists, and other stakeholders. These experiences coupled with her personality, shone through to us’.
Katie Alcott MBE, CEO and Founder of Frank Water said:
‘We have worked with Moon on several occasions and their rigorous approach to finding outstanding candidates always impresses me. We are very pleased with the appointment of Helen, who will add her people-centred approach and commercial nous to our mission.’
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