Recruiting a CEO

It provides prompts and reminders for board directors who may already have some skills and experience in conducting a recruitment process.

The guide outlines:

• the recruitment process
• who does what and in what order
• how to think about the requirements of the CEO role
• whether or not to use an executive search consultant
• sources of evidence for assessing candidates for the CEO role
• final checks
• setting the CEO up for success.

• About this guide and key terms

  This guide has been designed to help Victorian public sector Board Chairs and Directors conduct the CEO recruitment process.

• The recruitment process

  The recruitment process involves four key phases: preparation; attracting and assessing candidates; decision making and negotiation; and communication and transition.

• Developing the brief

  Before the board can start work to attract and recruit a new CEO, it must discuss and come to agreement about what the CEO will need to do.

• Getting underway

  Whether to use an executive search consultant and actions to do before assigning key tasks.

• Considering candidates

  Each of the candidates need to be considered in terms of the extent to which they meet the key selection criteria and aspects of ‘fit’ established by the Board and documented in role information.

• Before making the decision

  Before the final ranking of the candidates, and the Board makes a decision about which candidate will be offered the role, it is important to ensure due diligence has been applied.

• Setting the CEO up for success

  Regardless of how capable and confident the new CEO appears, any new CEO will benefit from having the Chair and others help them understand their new environment and how to adapt to it.

• Appendix A: CEO recruitment brief template

  This template is designed to be completed by hand or used as a model for an organisation to create their own.

• Appendix B: Merit-based recruitment decisions

  Employment of Victorian public entity staff, including the CEO, must be in line with the public sector employment principles including the principle that employment decisions are made on merit.

• Appendix C: When board directors are also organisational executives

  In some organisations the CEO, and sometimes other executive staff, are also members of the organisation’s Board. These Board Directors face a conflict of interest in certain circumstances.

• Appendix D: Documentation

  Documenting the recruitment process provides the basis for transparent, merit-based decisions.