Over the last quarter-century, Moon Executive Search has connected countless great leaders with great opportunities. We've navigated economic shifts, technological revolutions, and changes in how we work. Through it all, we've learned a lot about leadership, relationships, and what it takes to build a high-performing team. Here are 25 lessons we've learned in 25 years.

This Sunday, 7th September, we’ll see a total lunar eclipse, promising a spectacular "Blood Moon.” Coincidence? We think not!

Home-Start is a national charity that helps families with young children through challenging times. The organisation consists of 180 local, independent community networks that support over 43,000 families. Founded on the belief that childhood can’t wait, they are there for parents when they need it most.

Active Gloucestershire inspires and enables people to improve their lives through physical activity. They believe movement is magic, and it has the power to transform lives and bring communities closer together.

ART Business Loans is a pioneering CDFI (Community Development Finance Institution), owned by its members – both borrowers and investors. The independent non-profit was established in 1997 with the founding mission ‘to help alleviate poverty through enterprise’. They provide loans to viable small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the West Midlands and neighbouring areas who are unable to raise finance from mainstream banks, helping create and preserve jobs.

All Saints Church Lands Charity manages All Saints House, an almshouse in Central Bristol with a rich history in the local community. The almshouse provides comfortable accommodation for older individuals, enabling them to enjoy a high standard of independent living within a secure, friendly environment.

Jessie May is an award-winning Charity with a national reputation for providing outstanding nursing care and emotional support to children with life-limiting conditions, delivered in the place they and their families value most, their own homes. They also support parents, siblings, and wider family members.

What qualities will define exceptional leadership in 25 years? As we celebrate Moon’s 25th anniversary, our Founding Director, Vanessa Moon, is already looking ahead, anticipating how the definition of a 'great leader' will transform over the next quarter-century.

Eastside Community Trust was formed in 2020 through the merger of three successful and respected local charities: Easton Community Centre, Felix Road Adventure Playground, and Up Our Street. These organisations, which had always worked closely together, shared a common goal of building a stronger community.

Simon Quinn,  Director of Moon Leadership Consultancy, explores why being an effective CEO is about more than just about the bottom line and highlights some key lessons for all new CEOs.

St Mary Redcliffe Church Lands Charity (CLC) is a charitable trust that manages the historic endowment of St Mary Redcliffe Church. For over 800 years, the Charity has provided stability, support, and funding to the Church and parish. This includes funding the maintenance of the iconic Grade I Listed church building, divine services held in the church, and charitable work within the community.

Amica Care delivers exceptional, person-centred care for older adults across the West and South West of England. Their network includes five nursing and residential care homes and three independent living sites, offering a full spectrum of services from daycare and assisted living to specialised dementia and end-of-life care. Each site features excellent facilities, allowing residents to strike a balance between independence and community.

Our client, a successful and expanding SME operating in the B2B consumer products sector, is seeking a new MD to run their operation (single site). Their client base is blue-chip with long-term contracts.

The ISRV was established in 2005 to assist in the global prevention, detection, treatment and control of influenza and other respiratory viral diseases. The organisation is now among the largest international scientific communities of respiratory virus scientists and clinicians, with over 1,300 members representing approximately 68 countries.

Moon Executive Search is delighted to have been retained by our client, a leading and innovative global manufacturing business, to identify a Head of Strategy to focus on international expansion and adjacent market opportunities. 

Our client is a successful and well-established wholesale SME in the B2B sector, supplying commercial clients through direct manufacturing and specialist services. Their diverse client base includes blue-chip organisations and long-term commercial partners. Following a strategic review, they are now seeking to appoint a new Sales Director to lead all commercial activity and drive profitable growth across the business.

Offering industry and sector knowledge and underpinning an approach on sound governance principles will create a good functioning board, but behaviours seem to really separate those Boards from a truly high-performing board.

In 25 years of Moon Executive Search, we've witnessed transformations in how leaders conduct operations, recruit top talent and fuel success. From the rise of remote work and the accelerating pace of technological advancements (including AI) to a growing emphasis on diversity and inclusion, the business landscape is constantly changing.

So, what do Exec Search leaders think the biggest change has been? 

The right Chair is more than a facilitator – they're the catalyst for focused, effective decision-making that drives success. In the last six months we’ve place 15 outstanding Chair candidates! These individuals bring strategic vision, governance expertise, and sector specific knowledge.

The tectonic plates of the technology landscape are shifting, and with them, the very fabric of tech hiring. In 2025, a new set of priorities and demands is reshaping how organisations find, attract, and retain top talent. At Moon's MET (Management, Engineering and Technical) Practice, we're on the front lines of these changes.