Diversity in Recruitment

We believe that diversity is not just an aspiration. It is a fundamental driver of innovation, equality and organisational success.

We have a strong track record of advancing diverse talent into executive and non-executive roles. We embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) throughout every assignment, from defining the role and attracting candidates to assessment, interview and appointment.

Our approach supports equitable opportunity, broadens representation and helps clients make meaningful progress towards their EDI goals. The National Housing Federation’s Inclusive Recruitment toolkit reinforces our view that EDI should be a continuing thread through every stage of leadership recruitment.

Our Process

Creating Opportunities and Attracting Talent

Our inception meeting brings together a broad range of perspectives and builds a clear understanding of the organisation, the role and the person sought. We discuss EDI from the outset and agree how the search will support a diverse candidate pool.

We help clients develop clear role descriptions and challenge unnecessarily narrow requirements. This keeps the focus on essential capabilities while recognising transferable skills, lived experience, potential and less traditional career paths.

To attract professionals, we consider carefully how campaign language, tone and imagery may be received. Our advertising can explicitly welcome a broad range of applications and demonstrate a commitment to greater diversity in leadership and on boards.

We combine mainstream and trade advertising with specialist platforms such as Women in Social Housing, Women on Boards, Housing Diversity Network and Dynamic Boards. This extends reach beyond established networks.

The search process

We actively source talent across protected characteristics, including sex, race and disability, and broader dimensions of diversity such as socioeconomic background, neurodiversity and varied career paths.

Our team combines sector knowledge, industry insight and trusted networks with direct approaches and fresh research. Search lists drawn from our candidate database, Campbell Tickell staff and associate networks, and new market research. Internal check and challenge help us move beyond the usual suspects and maintain an open, diverse field.

We also speak with people who may be unsure whether they are ready for an executive or non-executive opportunity, helping them explore their skills, motivation and potential with discretion.

The application process

Anonymising CVs and supporting statements can be helpful, but we have found that it can also limit rather than further diversity. A focus on jobs people have done and the skills gained can inadvertently favour more traditional career paths.

Knowing the individual enables us to offer different perspectives to a client and draw out lived experience, transferable skills and potential that may not be obvious from the paperwork. We advise potential candidates on how best to articulate their offer and help clients see beyond the paperwork where needed.

This does not mean compromising on quality or moving too far away from the stipulated requirements. It means using the application process with an open perspective rather than being hemmed in by convention. Fairness remains key, and we see ourselves as guarding that principle when assessing applications with a client.

Longlisting and shortlisting

We curate balanced longlists and shortlists with a clear focus on quality, skills, aptitude and leadership potential. Our reports assess candidates against the agreed requirements and identify both strengths and areas for further exploration.

We consider the full evidence available, not the CV alone. Constructive discussion with the appointments panel can bring credible, less conventional candidates into consideration. We challenge assumptions and work with the panel to keep both lists inclusive and evidence-based.

Selection and interviews

We support structured, transparent interviews that give candidates a fair opportunity to demonstrate their experience and offer. Prepared questions and an agreed approach can support consistency, while informed discussion remains important.

We encourage open, evidence-based panel discussion and challenge judgements that may reflect bias or unsupported assumptions. Beyond an individual appointment, we help clients strengthen recruitment practice, address barriers to inclusion and make more inclusive decisions.

Our aim is to help build high-performing leadership teams that reflect the customers, communities and people they serve, supporting long-term organisational success through diversity, collaboration and innovation.