Brightside exists to expand opportunity for young people who too often face geography, networks or circumstance as barriers to their future. By harnessing technology to deliver meaningful, guided mentoring, the charity connects young people with role models, confidence, and pathways that might otherwise remain out of reach. As Brightside entered its next chapter, it needed a CEO who could champion this mission publicly, inspire new funding and partnership opportunities, and lead the organisation to scale with integrity, ambition and heart. Peridot Partners were appointed to design and deliver a search capable of securing a leader with the strategic ambition, external presence, and income-generation expertise to take the charity to its next chapter.
Context.
Brightside had strong foundations: a proven mentoring model, established safeguarding and technology infrastructure, committed board leadership, and a clear growth strategy. However, to scale sustainably, the organisation needed to accelerate income diversification, raise brand visibility and deepen partnerships across philanthropy, corporates, higher education and policy. The recruitment landed at a moment when youth social mobility faced widening inequality, increasing policy attention and intensified competition for funding. The CEO would need to balance external influence and revenue generation with internal culture leadership, operational resilience, and strategic maturity.
Brief.
Our brief centred on finding a CEO who could blend entrepreneurial income leadershipwith an authentic connection to the mission. Success meant appointing a leader capable of driving multi-channel fundraising, shaping public narrative, scaling partnerships, and leading a small charity with ambition and operational sophistication. We began with an in-depth discovery stage, working closely with trustees and senior staff to understand strategic priorities, leadership culture, stakeholder expectations, and organisational dynamics. This shaped a role profile that prioritised: major donor and grant success; corporate partnership development; comfort operating in public and policy platforms; digital literacy; safeguarding maturity; and people-centred leadership. We built a search strategy combining national outreach across social mobility, education, digital inclusion, policy, and philanthropy networks, ensuring broad representation of sectors, lived experiences, and leadership backgrounds. Transparency, pace andcandidate care were embedded throughout the process.
Outcome.
The campaign generated nearly 40 applications, reflecting strong market resonance. Six candidates progressed to the preliminary interview and three to the final stage, each offering distinct strengths across fundraising at scale, government influence, corporate partnership building, digital innovation, and organisational growth. The appointed CEO brings proven experience scaling a mission-led organisation, building technology-enabled mentoring programmes, securing high-value philanthropic funding, and leading policy influence at the national level. Their track record combined strategic vision, external profile, and hands-on income delivery, alongside experience working with trustees and safeguarding critical digital models. The process provided the Board with a diverse and appointable final slate and delivered a CEO equipped to accelerate income growth, deepen strategic partnerships, and amplify Brightside’s voice in social mobility. The appointment marked a shift from strong operational foundations to outward-facing strategic expansion, fundraising intensity, and national influence.
“Peridot turned out to be the recruiting partner we were hoping for, and our consultantClare really delivered. From her strong guidance on how to design the recruitment and assessment process based on years’ worth of hands-on experience to delivering an outstanding shortlist of candidates and ultimately an outstanding new CEO for us, Clare is one of the best recruiters I have ever worked with across the commercial and charity sectors. I wholeheartedlyrecommend her to anyone looking to secure an outstanding candidate for a critical, high-profileappointment.”
Oliver Borm, Chair, Brightside
Clare Chesworth is a Managing Consultant for our Not for Profit Practice. Clare is passionate about recruiting executive and board leaders for organisations tackling social justice. With an empathetic and driven approach, Clare can find the right leaders to suit your mission. If you’d like to get in touch with her, you can connect with Clare on Linkedin or send her an email.
