The Challenge
Nattergal is an exciting nature-based solutions start-up with a mission to deliver nature recovery at scale and provide vital benefits for society while generating sustainable financial returns. Although very well-funded and with an exceptional Board in place, they were very early stage and only a team of 4 FTEs when we began the partnership.
With limited brand reach and reputation, we were tasked with the search for 2 key leadership roles – Chief Financial Officer and Chief Commercial Officer. As well as needing the right technical background, seniority and gravitas, a strong personal alignment with the mission and values of Nattergal was paramount for success. A gender balanced and diverse shortlist was also required.
The Recruitment Approach
A series of in-depth meetings and a wonderful day visiting and walking the Boothby Wildland with the team gave us a real sense of the sort of person that would thrive at Nattergal. But finding the right blend of commercial, large corporate experience and passion for an early-stage hands-on role immersed in nature was not a straightforward search.
CEO, Nattergal, Archie Struthers:
Chris and his team at IAC took the time to really understand who Nattergal are and what we wanted in terms of building out a cohesive credible leadership team able to rapidly scale the business. They were able to develop an exceptional shortlist of candidates giving us genuine choice.
Our CFO and CCO are both fantastic individuals, have been hugely additive to the culture and competence of the team and so have already accelerated our progress.
Recruitment and Beyond
As part of our partnership with Nattergal, we facilitated a series of bespoke workshops challenging and guiding the leadership team towards developing best-in-class recruitment, retention, culture and leadership practices.
These skills and tools that will enable them to optimise their hiring process and build a sustainable, high performing and mission-aligned team. They also brought us closer to the fabric of the organisation, giving intimate insight which helped enormously in both qualifying suitable candidates and positioning Nattergal as an employer.
The Outcome
The shortlist included candidates with a range of experiences and backgrounds allowing the team to select the best, most well-aligned combination of skills and experience for the 2 roles. The selected candidates, both females, added not only exceptional experience and skills to the team but also new perspectives and balance to the leadership group.
We really enjoyed immersing ourselves in this fantastic organisation and are delighted with the outcome of the search. We look forward to continuing the partnership as recruitment and people advisors!
We lead talent search for impact start-ups and large enterprises who need to make more sustainable changes.
