When the Institute of Chartered Foresters needed two specialist hires to support their growth and values-led mission, they trusted our expertise - and we found the perfect fit.
Our Client – The Institute of Chartered Foresters
The Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) is the Royal Chartered body for forestry professionals in the UK. For over a century, they’ve supported the people responsible for managing our trees, woods and forests - from arboriculturists to foresters, and everyone in between.
They’re the only organisation in the UK offering Chartered status to forestry professionals, and they play a vital role in upholding professional standards, providing training and guidance, and influencing environmental policy. With climate and sustainability now front and centre, their work has never been more relevant.
The Brief
The ICF sought our expertise, leveraging on our well-established relationship. Notably, Louise Simpson, who now holds the position of Executive Director at the ICF, was originally placed by our Co-Founder, Daniel Goddard. Louise's career advancement and promotion to her current executive role underscore the successful partnership and strategic placements we have facilitated for the ICF to date.
Faced with the task of filling two newly created positions – a Professional Practice Manager and later a Business Development Manager – the ICF required candidates with the ideal blend of membership sector expertise, credibility and industry interest.
Both roles were important to the ICF’s future plans and required talented people with experience in membership, the ability to work with credibility across professional audiences, and a genuine interest in the Institute’s purpose.
While initially open on location, it became clear that regular travel to Scotland would be needed. Combined with the specialist nature of the work, they were looking for people who could not only do the job, but also strongly align with their mission - so it wasn’t going to be a quick search.
Our Solution
Once the brief came in, we arranged a call with Louise Simpson to get under the skin of what they needed - not just in terms of the job spec, but what success would really look like and how the roles would support the Institute’s wider aims. The immediate priority was the Professional Practice Manager, with the Business Development Manager role following in the new year.
Our solution took shape as below:
- We combined targeted outreach to our extensive candidate networks, focusing on individuals with strong membership experience and a clear alignment to the ICF’s values.
- Every candidate we shortlisted had a one-to-one call with us, covering the practical details like the necessary regular travel to Scotland, but also digging into what they were looking for and why the ICF stood out to them.
With both roles requiring regular presence in Scotland and a niche skill set, we knew from the outset that the candidate pool would be limited. But our confidence came from experience, we’ve delivered on tough briefs before, and we knew that a focused, quality-led search would get results.
The Results
Across both roles, we worked closely with the ICF to shape a thorough and structured process. To support decision-making, our Co-Founder Daniel developed a bespoke interview scorecard that helped the panel assess candidates clearly and consistently. This was especially useful as the Institute doesn’t recruit often and didn’t have clear reference points or measures of success.
Shortlisted candidates were invited to interviews with the ICF’s leadership team, with the Business Development Manager role also requiring a short presentation. Our approach meant the client was confident in comparing candidates not just on experience, but on how well they aligned with the organisation’s values and goals.
Both placements were successful. The new Professional Practice Manager brought strong membership experience and was already used to regular travel - a seamless fit. The Business Development Manager came in at the right time for a step up and made a brilliant impression at interview.
This project showcases very well how a specialist approach and sector knowledge can make a real difference. Not just in finding talent, but in helping define what ‘right’ looks like.
Feedback from the ICF has been highly positive:
"We were thrilled with Membership Bespoke’s tailored and structured recruitment approach to filling our two new key roles. Their expertise in sourcing candidates with the perfect blend of membership experience, credibility in key skillsets, and sector expertise, was invaluable. Having trusted the team at Membership Bespoke to deliver top talent for us in the past, they once again exceeded our expectations with the exceptional calibre of candidates they provided."
Louise Simpson, Executive Director at the Institute of Chartered Foresters