Virtually There: Appointing a CEO to lead the next phase of growth
The process
We worked closely with the founders to understand the business, its ambitions and the capabilities required from its next CEO.
This allowed us to develop a focused search around five key areas:
- Commercial leadership: Driving growth and strengthening customer acquisition and retention.
- Operational leadership: Building accountability across the leadership team and supporting effective, scalable operations.
- Technology and AI: Understanding how technology, automation and data could improve the customer offering and business performance.
- Financial management: Taking ownership of financial performance, planning and reporting.
- Leadership and culture: Working effectively with the founders and wider team while building the organisation’s leadership capability.
We combined our network with proactive market research and direct engagement with relevant senior candidates. Assessment focused on each candidate’s track record, motivation, leadership style, commercial capability and ability to operate effectively in a lean SME environment.
We presented a shortlist of seven candidates, all of whom completed first stage interviews with one of the founders. Five progressed to more in depth interviews with the founders, and three were invited to meet the board.
ISL remained closely involved throughout, managing feedback between candidates and the business, attending interview days to meet and debrief candidates, and providing insight to support the board’s decision making.
Virtually There had a clear direction. The challenge was finding someone with the breadth of experience and practical leadership skills to turn its ambitions into results.
The role spanned commercial strategy, operational performance, technology, partnerships and financial management. The successful candidate needed to move comfortably between strategic decision making and the day to day detail of running a growing business.
A traditional corporate CEO profile risked being too removed from the operational detail, while a candidate from a purely SaaS background might lack the wider operational experience required.
The search needed to identify a commercially driven leader who could take ownership, work collaboratively with the founders and adapt to the demands of a lean business.
The Results
The results
- A new CEO appointed: ISL supported Virtually There in identifying and appointing a CEO to lead the business through its next phase of development.
- Stronger leadership capacity: The appointment strengthens the leadership team and gives the founders greater capacity to focus on the wider direction of the business.
- A clear leadership mandate: The new CEO brings the experience needed to lead across commercial, operational, financial and technology priorities, working closely with the existing team.
- The outcome: Appointing the right CEO required more than identifying someone with an impressive track record. Virtually There needed a leader whose experience, approach and working style matched the practical demands of the business.
By working closely with the founders, defining the requirements and calibrating the market, ISL helped Virtually There identify and secure a CEO with the breadth of capability needed for its next phase of growth.
The process demonstrates the value of a considered executive search, combining a clear understanding of the business with targeted candidate engagement and hands on support throughout the appointment process.
Similar case studies
Satva Trust
Satva Trust founder, Robin, attended an ISL Talent’s founders’ lunch. It was here he was first introduced to ISL Talent, and the approach and services they offer to the startup com...
Minerva's Virtual Academy
With its swift rise in students, MVA faced a pressing need to scale its HQ operations effectively to support demand, especially for specialised roles that align with its educationa...
Seedling
Seedling is helping organisations take meaningful action on climate change by making carbon management accessible, practical and commercially valuable. Through its platform and con...
Bohr
11 hires | 6 months | Multiple technical disciplines | Retained partnership The challenge Bohr is a growing engineering and technology business delivering innovative solution...
Our Partnership plans:
Base_up
Our retained service plan gives you the assurance that we’ll be your proactive partner.
Not ready to commit to that yet, try us on an ad hoc basis:
