A world-renowned theatre school, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) is one of the country’s most coveted drama schools developing the very best talent through its high calibre acting, technical, production and management training.
BOVTS is an incredibly popular and important theatre school for anyone with an interest in the performing arts genres. BOVTS has both a national and international reputation and is famed for its well-established, professional and diverse range of available courses.
BOVTS alumni are hugely prestigious and include Olivia Colman CBE, Sir Daniel Day-Lewis, Sir Patrick Stewart and Naomie Harris OBE as well as many others of international artistic and theatrical renown.
The organisation is led by Principal and CEO Fiona Francombe and has a strong board of trustees bringing together an invaluable blend of skills from business, professional services, property, health and the creative arts sectors. BOVTS is a theatre school that many students strive to attend, and its impressive and successful alumni contribute to that pull factor.
Fiona Francombe and their Chair Guy Stobart had worked with Moon Executive Search for quite some time, so felt comfortable that they knew the organisation well.
The Campaign
The campaign was led by Simon Quinn Director of Search.
This was a newly created role with the purpose being to oversee the operational performance and sustainability of BOVTS both from a day-to-day perspective, but also crucially by inputting into the longer-term strategic planning, to ensure the vision of the Theatre School is delivered.
The role was to be part of the Executive Leadership and Senior Management Team and was to work closely with Council of Management (Board of Trustees). We sought a person who could ensure the vision of the Theatre School is delivered, providing the necessary financial support to deliver the operational sustainability of the School and its pursuit of excellence.
We created a compelling briefing pack and Simon led on a national search campaign covering the performing arts sector, charities, education and not for profit, as well as the professional services sector.
The Outcome
We were pleased to present Ben Stokes who has been appointed as their new Chief Operating Officer. Ben brings a strong finance and operations background covering charities, business start-ups and education. For Ben, it is about working in environments that make a difference, working with a great management team and sharing aspirations and being forward thinking. He said he can see the opportunities that lie within the school’s history and the quality of its teaching, being creative and offering an experience that shapes the future of all students.
Simon Quinn said:
‘We had previously brought in their last Finance Director and Interim FD Cover via Brian Frost so felt we already had a strong insight into characteristics the right person needed to display for BOVTS. We love the vibrancy of the theatre school and were so pleased to have been brought in again to work with them.’
Fiona Francombe, Principal and CEO adds:
‘BOVTS is a unique organisation with such a rich heritage and incredible national and international reputation, and we knew Moon understood us well. We have previously seen how dedicated they are and were delighted they were able to introduce a great candidate in Ben. We were also pleased that Brian was able to cover at short notice when we needed it.’
Moon Executive Search provide bespoke solutions for clients, using our extensive expertise and knowledge gained from twenty years of recruiting to find your perfect candidate. If you are looking to appoint a senior leader to your Board, visit Build Your Board to get started, or call us on 01275 371200.
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