Peridot Partners was briefed to source Trustees for the Wembley Stadium Foundation. The Wembley Stadium Foundation is the independent, grant-giving charity connected to Wembley Stadium. Its purpose is to use income generated by events at the stadium to support community projects, particularly those that help young people through sport, movement and the performing arts. The Trustee recruitment represented a significant moment of change in the organisation’s journey, as they look toward delivering a change of scale and impact leading up to Euro 2028 and beyond.
Context.
WSF has the ambition to operate as a national grant giving charity, delivering impact beyond Brent; the aim is to become local, regional and national. Having a high-performing Board of Trustees from a range of sectors to act as sounding boards will help them to deliver on this mission.
Brief.
The organisation offered Peridot an open brief, enabling us to explore a genuinely broad leadership market. We were tasked with identifying senior and executive leaders whose backgrounds demonstrated depth across multiple organisational disciplines, including marketing, strategy, legal, HR, IT, finance and large‑scale change management. The Trust was clear that it needed individuals who had operated at a significant scale, ideally within complex, multi‑site or multi‑stakeholder environments and who could bring both strategic acuity and operational credibility. Our brief was to ensure that we surfaced leaders capable of contributing to a high-performing executive team: individuals who could bring sector‑relevant insight, cross‑functional expertise and the ability to translate organisational ambition into measurable impact. This required us to cast the net widely, engage across sectors and assess candidates not only for technical competence but for their ability to operate within a values‑driven, collaborative and ambitious culture.
Outcome.
Peridot sourced over 90 applications of high quality, from a range of sectors. The appointed individuals came from various backgrounds and the foundation was so pleased that they appointed more than their initial quota. The appointed candidates were:
- Chief HR Officer of a global law firm
- Managing Director of a PE backed, global sports enterprise
- The Former Director of the BBC
The client found Peridot to be efficient, understanding and fully committed to delivering forthem. Not simply leveraging the Wembley brand, but clearly articulating WSF’s differentiation to the stadium, as well as, importantly, their opportunity to grow and how becoming a Trustee could help them achieve their mission.
We were really pleased with the support from Dan, Eddie and the wider Peridot team throughout the process. They took the time to understand the brief properly, were thoughtful in how they approached the search, and the quality of candidates put forward was strong. Most importantly, I think the process has helped us strengthen the board at an important point in the Foundation’s development, which will have a meaningful impact over the years ahead.
Paul Findlay MBE, CEO of the Wembley Stadium Foundation.
Dan brings nearly 20 years’ experience supporting organisations that strengthen communities, now specialising in leadership recruitment for sports and educational bodies.
A kids’ football coach and committed advocate for the role of sport in development. He builds strong relationships to find inclusive, inspiring leaders who make a lasting impact.
