Originally featured by School Management Plus in their Trust Leadership Today – Autumn 2024 edition
Ask the recruiter
In this issue, we introduce a new regular feature, where we pose questions to Anderson Quigley (AQ), executive talent partners, who share their insights and expertise around the world of recruitment. If there is a specific question you’d like to ask, please email welcome@andersonquigley.com with “Ask the recruiter” in the subject line.
The first question we asked Hayley Mintern, Partner and Schools Lead at AQ, is how do you recruit a successful Chair that will add value and help drive forward a Multi-academy trust?
The role of a Chair for a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) is a pivotal leadership position, influencing governance, strategy, and ensuring educational excellence across multiple schools. Given the complexity of overseeing multiple academies, recruiting the right Chair is essential. We have also seen in our recent research Good Governance the impact on getting this hire wrong can have a huge impact on the MAT.
Below are some key considerations, AQ tips, and best practices for recruiting a Chair of a MAT, including attracting a diverse talent pool, crafting clear terms of reference, addressing time commitments, and, what is always a hurdle to overcome, the unremunerated nature of this role.
Know what you need before you go to market
The Chair holds responsibility for ensuring robust governance, setting strategic direction, holding the CEO and leadership accountable, and ensuring the trust’s values align with its vision. Given the multi-school nature of a MAT, this role is even more complex, requiring a deep understanding of education, strategic planning, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.
Before beginning the recruitment process, it is crucial to clearly define the role of the Chair and what your MATs objectives are for the next four years – this could be growth, school improvement, sustainability or a mixture of different objectives.
A well-drafted Terms of Reference or Job description is fundamental to establishing expectations for the Chair’s role. This outlines the responsibilities, reporting lines, and scope of the role, providing clarity for both the MAT board and prospective candidates.
- Define governance responsibilities: Ensure that the schemes of delegation clearly outline the governance responsibilities of the Chair, the executive and local governance structures. This includes leading board meetings, setting the board agenda, providing leadership to trustees, and ensuring that the MAT complies with statutory regulations and best practices.
- Specify key relationships: it is important to define the working relationship between the Chair and the CEO, trustees, and other key stakeholders. It should emphasise the importance of a collaborative relationship with the CEO while maintaining the objectivity required to hold leadership accountable.
- Outline decision-making powers: The Chair’s authority in making decisions outside of board meetings should be explicitly stated. This ensures transparency and avoids any misunderstandings regarding the Chair’s power to act independently on urgent matters as needed for the MAT.
Diversity of thought
A diverse governing board and executive team leads to richer discussions, better decision-making, and more innovative approaches to challenges. For a Chair, diversity of thought, background, and experience is particularly crucial. We would recommend the below to attract a wider talent pool.
- Widen recruitment channels: Instead of relying solely on traditional channels like board member referrals, leverage broader platforms such as diversity-specific recruitment job boards, community networks, social media, and specialist publications. Groups like Women on Boards, the Association of Chairs, and the National Governance Association (NGA), the NED Exchange can be instrumental in reaching underrepresented groups.
- Highlight inclusivity in job descriptions: Clearly express the trust’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity in the recruitment materials. Emphasise that candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, focusing on skills, experience, and leadership qualities over specific previous roles or titles.
- Focus on skills and experience over sector-specific expertise: While educational experience is valuable, leadership, strategic planning, and governance skills all make for a strong chair. Many successful Chairs come from different sectors like business, health, or non-profits. These individuals may bring fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to educational challenges.
Time commitment: transparency and realistic expectations
Given the scope and demands of leading a MAT, time commitment is a key factor in recruiting the right Chair. It’s important to be upfront about the time investment required, including board meetings, committee work, strategy sessions, and external engagements.
- Be clear about the time involvement: In the job description and recruitment conversations, provide a realistic estimate of the time commitment. This should include regular board meetings (typically 8 per year), committee meetings, preparation time, and ad hoc requirements like attending school visits, meeting stakeholders, or engaging with local authorities. We are also seeing Ofsted more regularly asking for the MAT Chair to be part of the school inspections, so candidates should be prepared for this.
- Accommodate flexibility: While being clear about expectations, also offer flexibility. For instance, while some meetings may require in-person attendance, others can be conducted virtually. This flexibility may attract candidates with busy professional lives who may otherwise be deterred by rigid scheduling.
- Consider remuneration or reimbursement: For the majority of MATs, the Chair role is a voluntary position, but consideration should be given to reimbursing expenses or even providing modest remuneration, subject to DFE approval, particularly if you want to attract individuals who may not have the financial freedom to volunteer full-time. This can also support diversity efforts, ensuring the position is accessible to all candidates, regardless of their socio-economic background.
Bringing in external support
To enhance the recruitment process, consider working with specialist agencies that focus on Board-level recruitment for educational and the wider public sector. At Anderson Quigley, we have specialised Board practice that attracts candidates from health, local and central government, higher education, the wider public sector, and private sector.
Interview and selection process
The interview process should be rigorous yet supportive, aiming to assess both the candidate’s skills and cultural fit with the trust. Key points to consider:
- Focus on leadership qualities: Interviews should assess the candidate’s ability to lead strategically, build trust, and support executive leadership. Behavioural interview questions can explore how the candidate handles complex governance challenges, facilitates discussion, and navigates difficult decisions.
- Engage the board: It is vital that trustees are involved in the selection process. Having a panel interview with key trustees, including those representing different academies in the trust, ensures the Chair will work effectively with the entire board and local governance structures.
- Simulate real-world scenarios: Providing candidates with real-world governance scenarios to address during the interview can give insight into their problem-solving approach, decision-making skills, and how they handle complex issues.
The recruitment process doesn’t stop at the offer
Once the recruitment process is complete, it is crucial to have a robust onboarding process to set the Chair up for success. This involves:
- Comprehensive induction: Provide a thorough introduction to the MAT’s vision, ethos, and strategic priorities. Ensure the Chair understands the Trust’s governance structure, key policies, financial status, and challenges. Get them to visit your schools. To be a good chair, you have to understand the whole organisation.
- Support and training: Offer ongoing support through regular mentoring or coaching, particularly if the Chair is new to the education sector. The NGA provide training and resources tailored for Chairs to help them adapt to the nuances of educational governance.
- Set slear expectations for the first year: Establish clear goals for the Chair’s first year, focusing on key areas like governance reviews, leadership development, and stakeholder engagement. This will help the Chair focus on priority areas and provide a structure for success.
If you’d like to discuss any of the points made above or would like support in recruiting members of your Board or executive team, you can contact Hayley Mintern by emailing hayley.mintern@andersonquigley.com.
Hayley Mintern has supported the education sector for over ten years, providing executive search, interim management, and consultancy solutions to Independent Schools, Academy Trusts, FE Colleges, and Universities. Her speciality is understanding the education sector and connecting talent that is passionate about providing high quality inclusive education. She has a strong track record of supporting education leaders and partnering with many organisations to identify and develop a top talent pool.
Hayley is driven by making a positive difference to the education sector, and is a governor for a MAT, working closely with the head and trust leaders to ensure excellent levels of education. She also previously worked closely with England Rugby Schools to deliver inclusive sport in schools and has a strong understanding of the curriculum.
