From Leader to CEO: What Changes When You Step Into the Top Role
For many senior leaders, the ambition to become a Chief Executive feels like a natural progression. You’ve led complex functions. You’ve sat on boards. You
For many senior leaders, the ambition to become a Chief Executive feels like a natural progression. You’ve led complex functions. You’ve sat on boards. You
For many senior leaders, the board CV is an unfamiliar discipline. It looks similar to an executive CV but it is judged very differently. Chairs
Bias is not a moral failing. It’s a human one. Every decision-maker carries a mix of conscious values and unconscious shortcuts. The challenge is that the two don’t always align. In recruitment, particularly at senior and board level those shortcuts can quietly shape outcomes in ways that undermine both fairness and effectiveness. Bias doesn’t usually announce itself. It shows up in comparisons, assumptions, and instincts we trust without interrogation. Over time, those patterns influence who is appointed, who progresses, and ultimately whose perspectives are present around the table. Below are five common recruitment biases we see regularly and why they matter. 1. Contrast bias This occurs when candidates are assessed relative to one another, rather than against the role itself. An interview can feel strong or weak simply because of who came before. The risk is obvious: decision-making becomes
Board CV Checklist Before you submit, ask yourself: Board Proposition Does the opening clearly state why I belong in the boardroom? Have I articulated my governance value, not just my seniority? Would a Chair understand what I add to board discussions within 30 seconds? Governance Lens Is my experience framed around oversight, risk, and judgement? Have I highlighted strategic challenge, not operational delivery? Have I shown exposure to ambiguity and consequence? Governance Readiness Have I clearly referenced board, committee, or assurance experience? If first-time, have I demonstrated governance-adjacent behaviours? Is my independence of thought visible? Tone & Structure Is the language measured, credible, and board-level? Have I avoided management-heavy phrasing? Is the CV concise (2–3 pages) and easy to scan? Perspective & Lived Experience Have I shown how my perspective strengthens decision-making? Is diversity framed
The conversation around diversity and inclusion is continually evolving. Organisations increasingly understand the value of representation, the importance of lived experience in leadership and the role of inclusion in shaping trust and better outcomes. Yet one dimension remains comparatively under-examined: age. As the UK population grows older and government policy encourages people to extend their working lives, many professionals in their fifties and sixties report feeling overlooked, undervalued or pushed out of the workforce altogether. This prompts an important question: in an era of modern inclusion, is the older workforce becoming a marginalised group The Demographic Reality: An Ageing Workforce Met with Persistent Stereotypes The UK population is ageing rapidly, in line with trends seen across many European nations. By 2030, one in five people will be over 65, and the proportion of older workers in the labour
85% of LGBTQ+ professionals have faced at least one significant career barrier due to their identity. Common challenges include: Lack of role models: 70% cited a lack of LGBTQ+ representation in leadership. Hostile or uncomfortable workplaces: Half experienced environments where being out wasn’t safe or supported. Limited HR support: 42% felt their employer didn’t back them when issues arose. Bias in hiring: 93% suspected bias in recruitment or promotion processes. Intersectionality matters: Barriers multiply for those who are trans, disabled, from ethnic minorities, or working-class backgrounds. These experiences often lead talented professionals to “play it safe” — choosing roles or employers where they feel merely secure, not necessarily fulfilled. Pride in Leadership surveyed over 1,000 LGBTQ+ professionals across the UK and reveal a powerful truth: while progress has been made, LGBTQ+ candidates still face deep-rooted barriers to
How Castle Peak Group Aims to Break Down Barriers for Minority Candidates In the aftermath of the 2024 riots, conversations about race, inequality, and belonging in the UK’s North East region took on a new urgency. The creation of the North East Anti-Racism Coalition (NEARC) was one such response — a cross-sector effort to understand the roots of racism and rebuild trust across communities. Their recent research, involving 639 respondents, paints a stark picture: 78% believe racism is a regular or everyday issue. 69% feel racism is getting worse. Over half have personally experienced racism — most often as verbal abuse, but also through exclusion, physical aggression, and discrimination at work. The findings also reveal a deep erosion of confidence in institutions. Three-quarters of those who experienced racism didn’t report it to the police, often believing nothing would
In the absence of our Chair, I led the recruitment process on behalf of Age UK North Yorkshire Coast and Moors for a new Chief Executive. As a result, we commissioned James Carss of the Castle Peak Group to undertake the Search. Given the pivotal importance of finding a first-class CEO, our Board had shortlisted six possible recruitment agencies to work with us – some local, some national and interviewed each one of them online. Having done so, my colleagues and I unanimously agreed to appoint the Castle Peak Group – though, interestingly, only I was aware that they were the second cheapest of the six tenders that we received (a full £6k cheaper than a London Agency). “James Carss was, by some way, the most personable, the best prepared and the most impressive executive search consultant we spoke
Housing doesn’t always like patting itself on the back, but when you make comparisons to other sectors, it actually takes D&I more seriously than most.
Tips for writing a good cover letter for a trustee or NED (or any!) role Your CV does not tell your story, your cover letter or statement does. This is true of all job roles, but especially so for non-executive director or trustee positions where your passion and personal connection to a sector, an organisation or a cause is as important as your professional background. Getting it right isn’t easy, but there are some bits of advice we share with candidates which can help you stand out from the crowd. Never ignore it It might seem obvious, but our biggest piece of advice is to treat the cover letter with the same care and attention you’d give the rest of your application. It’s easy to overlook the cover letter when you’re bringing together all the other information involved in an
Castle Peak Group is proud to launch our latest research paper assessing the barriers to diversity and inclusion in third sector organisations.
Castle Peak is a new business founded by former NRG managing director James Carss to bring a D&I-focused executive search offer to the North East
There’s a world of difference between saying you are a diverse workplace, and actually being one.
I’ve seen the good and the bad in my time in executive search, and one of the big traps organisations fall into is making diversity and inclusion a problem for the HR team.
Castle Peak is named for a region of Hong Kong. A place I called home for 12 years.
The peak itself is striking. The terrain is granite and, even though we think of granite as solid, the climate in Hong Kong has weathered it, with great chunks of granite falling away over the millennia, leaving it looking jagged and sharp.
What practical steps can you take to minimise bias in your recruitment process? That’s a huge question. I tend to break it down into three parts.
First, how you define and advertise a role. Second, how you process applications. Third, how you interview candidates.
As a straight, white, middle-class man, I might not be the obvious candidate for founding an executive search firm with diversity and inclusion at its heart. But, it’s a passion for me. And a deep-rooted one.
I say that Castle Peak is driven by diversity, and I mean it, because I am too.