Overview

Croydon Vision is a long‑established, community‑focused charity supporting more than 1,000 people of all ages living with sight loss. Based in the heart of Croydon, the organisation empowers individuals through a wide range of tailored services including technology training, employment support, wellbeing classes, cookery, creative activities and intergenerational programmes.

The organisation is entering the next chapter of its strategic journey following a period of significant growth, transformation and increased visibility across the borough. With strong ambitions to build a sustainable future for the next 100 years, centred on the model ‘heart of a charity, mindset of a business’, Croydon Vision sought a Chief Executive who could combine compassionate, mission‑driven leadership with commercial and strategic acumen.

The search concluded with the appointment of Nicola Newman, the organisation’s current Chief Executive.

Our Approach

In response to the brief, we conducted a four‑week national search focusing on candidates with the right blend of strategic capability, people leadership, operational depth and values alignment.

Our outreach emphasised the following leadership attributes:

• Agility in navigating adversity and identifying opportunity
• Evidence of strategic leadership and operational delivery
• A people‑centred leadership style grounded in empathy and inclusivity
• Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership‑building capability
• Financial and commercial acumen suitable for a self‑sustaining charity
• Demonstrable passion for Croydon Vision’s mission and community impact

The role was advertised widely across Guardian Jobs, Charity Job, Pride in Leadership, ACEVO and the Charity People website, generating 55 expressions of interest, with LinkedIn producing a further 61 expressions of interest.

Alongside formal advertising, our team conducted targeted LinkedIn Recruiter research, identifying 140 potential candidates who were proactively approached. This included both direct prospects and individuals likely to provide high‑value recommendations.

This combined strategy produced 15 formal applications, each followed by a discussion with Charity People. Withdrawals were primarily due to remuneration or timing constraints, but the resulting longlist remained strong and competitive. Candidates were then grouped into A, B and C lists to provide a structured and transparent foundation for Trustee review.

Outcomes

The longlist presented a diverse and robust pool of candidates representing a broad mix of charity, public sector and cross‑sector leadership experience. This enabled an efficient and well‑informed shortlisting process for Trustees.

The search concluded with the appointment of Nicola Newman, a highly experienced charity sector leader with a strong background in organisational development, finance, culture, partnership‑building and community services.

Impact

The appointment of Nicola Newman strengthens Croydon Vision’s long‑term organisational capacity and supports its ambitions to deepen community engagement, expand its service offer and build a financially sustainable future.

Under Nicola’s leadership, Croydon Vision is well positioned to:

• Diversify and grow income streams
• Strengthen partnerships across the voluntary, public and health sectors
• Drive innovation in services for people with sight loss
• Champion equity, diversity and inclusion across the organisation
• Continue delivering high‑impact, life‑enhancing support to its members

This appointment reinforces a confident, forward‑looking trajectory for Croydon Vision as it works to leave a lasting legacy for the next century.