Meet WIG’s Head of Talent Katy Crothall | Article
We recently spoke with WIG’s Head of Talent, Katy Crothall, who shared her experience and approach to NED and Trustee Recruitment at WIG – including a commitment to increasing diversity on boards.
How does recruitment of Non-Executive Directors and Trustees support WIG’s mission of connecting the sectors?
Specialising in board recruitment is something I find very fulfilling, not least because it is so important to our charitable aim of connecting the sectors – something that trustees and Non-Executives play an important role in, by bringing their extensive and different backgrounds to important decision making, but also because the team and I are particularly focussed on improving diversity at board level –something that we have been particularly successful in the last 12 months – with 50% of placements being people with lived diversity experience, and 66% being women.
Is there an experience at your time at WIG that particularly stands out?
It is always rewarding when we make a placement as we put considerable effort into the process. It is also really satisfying when our clients return back to us to discuss succession planning for the board and how we can assist in the process. Strengthening boards and subsequent decision making remains a real privilege to be involved with
What advice would you give to organisations looking through the board process?
Understanding when ends of terms might cause a skill shortage, how new strategy focus areas may necessitate expertise, or where diversity can be particularly important can be very helpful when considering options. We are always happy to discuss forthcoming board recruitment, even if it is future planning, or just a general discussion in terms of best practice.
How does selecting an organisation that is a charity for recruitment needs help support the organisation’s process?
Working for a charity that has access to a truly extensive network of diverse and talented individuals really does open up options for ensuring that your board has access to the best talent in the market, and ultimately all for a good cause.
WIG’s Head of Talent, Katy Crothall has had a twenty-two-year journey in recruitment, covering temporary recruitment, permanent recruitment, executive search and vendor management systems. She has recruited to both the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, specialising in social housing, charities, local authorities, and board recruitment. She has also managed a large public sector division on a national level.
If you would like to discuss any forthcoming recruitment requirements or have any questions on best practice, please do reach out to the Talent team – [email protected] or see more information: Recruit a Non-Executive Director or Trustee.
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Katy manages our Talent function, designed to maximise cross-sector learning through operational exposure and one-to-one coaching. Within this she helps co-ordinate and run the Charity Next programme, arrange and facilitate both secondments and mentoring opportunities between sectors. She also directly recruits as part of NED and Trustee recruitment.
Before joining WIG, Katy worked as a Director for Badenoch & Clark, a specialist professional services recruitment company, personally specialising in senior level recruitment to Social Housing, Not-For-Profit and Local Government, as well as sitting on their operational board.
She sits on a customer committee for a Housing Association, and as a Trustee for a Grant Giving Charity. And in her spare time, when not looking after her three children, she enjoys swimming, running and skiing.