Daybreaks Trust is a small Birmingham-based charity dedicated to the welfare and rehoming of retired racing greyhounds. Since Daybreaks Kennels opened in 2006, the charity has found loving homes for more than 3,400 greyhounds, supported by a close-knit community of staff, volunteers, trustees, adopters and supporters.
Following a period of change and uncertainty, Daybreaks decided to invest in its future leadership. The Board appointed Peridot Partners to recruit the charity’s first Chief Executive Officer: someone who could provide stability, strengthen the organisation and build on the values and quality of care at its heart.
Context.
Daybreaks has a strong heritage, built over many years by its long-serving founder, experienced staff team, committed volunteers and supportive Board. Following the departure of the founder, and later the departure of the manager, the charity experienced a period of leadership transition.
For a charity of its size, this was a significant challenge. Daybreaks needed someone who could provide direction and continuity while working comfortably in a hands-on environment with limited internal infrastructure. The successful candidate would need to move between strategic planning, people leadership, governance, finance, fundraising and day-to-day operational decision-making.
The charity had also recently received a legacy donation, creating an opportunity to invest in its future. The Board wanted to use this moment carefully, strengthening leadership and organisational capacity while maintaining the community spirit, volunteer commitment and standards of greyhound welfare that had made Daybreaks successful.
We worked closely with the Board to define what the organisation genuinely needed from its next leader. Rather than replacing the previous management role, we helped Daybreaks shape a broader Chief Executive Officer brief and identify the leadership experience that would translate well into a small charity environment. This widened the potential candidate pool while keeping organisational fit, practical leadership and values at the centre of the search.
Brief.
For a charity of Daybreaks’ size, the breadth of the brief made this a distinctive CEO search.
The organisation needed someone capable of working across both long-term planning and day-to-day operations. The successful candidate would work with Trustees to shape the charity’s future while staying closely involved in running the organisation.
They needed to lead and support staff and volunteers, strengthen governance and organisational systems, oversee budgets and financial reporting, develop income and fundraising activity, and build external relationships. Just as importantly, they needed the judgement to know what should change and what was worth protecting.
We therefore focused the search on practical, values-led leaders who understood small charity environments and were comfortable taking broad organisational responsibility. Direct animal welfare experience was not essential. Instead, we prioritised transferable leadership experience, financial confidence, governance awareness and the ability to build trust with a highly committed team and volunteer community.
This enabled Daybreaks to consider candidates beyond the immediate animal welfare sector while maintaining a strong focus on motivation, organisational fit and commitment to the charity’s mission.
Outcome.
Following a targeted search and competitive assessment process, Daybreaks appointed Katherine Ferguson as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Katherine joins the charity at an important stage in its development and brings leadership experience from across the charity and wider not-for-profit sectors, alongside a strong commitment to animal welfare.
Her appointment creates dedicated executive leadership for the organisation and increases capacity to strengthen governance, organisational systems, people management, financial planning and income generation, while maintaining the high standards of greyhound welfare that define Daybreaks.
For a small charity, appointing a CEO represents a significant investment. The search therefore focused not simply on finding someone with senior leadership experience, but on identifying someone who would thrive in a hands-on environment where leadership is closely connected to delivery.
Katherine demonstrated a strong alignment with Daybreaks’ values and a track record of leading teams, managing change and supporting organisational sustainability, making her well placed to help guide the charity through its next phase of development.
“I was approached by Conor with respect to this role, as he felt my career to date was a good match. I felt he had an excellent understanding of my experience and skills and how they would translate to this role. Conor offered great insight, feedback and support throughout and I found the experience to be incredibly positive.”
Katherine Ferguson, appointed Chief Executive Officer
“Conor and Bill at Peridot were recommended to me by several close contacts. Their speed of response, depth of experience, and commercial fee structure made it an easy decision to engage them on this key appointment for Daybreaks. Throughout the process, Conor was extremely active, provided very clear direction, and kept us updated on progress. We were very pleased with the quality of the shortlist generated and delighted that Katherine has accepted the role. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Conor and Bill in the future.”
Toby Arrowsmith, Interim Chair, Daybreaks Trust
