Overview

Charity People was engaged to support the appointment of an Executive Head of Education for the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS), the leading professional body for biomedical scientists, support staff and students.

This was a critical executive-level appointment reporting directly to the Chief Executive and playing a central role in the organisation’s future growth and strategic development. The successful candidate would lead a large and complex Education Department, oversee qualifications, accreditation and professional standards activity, maintain regulatory credibility, and act as a trusted adviser to the CEO, Council and senior committees.

The role offered an attractive salary of £85,000, hybrid working and the opportunity to shape the future of education, workforce development and professional standards across the biomedical science profession both within the UK and internationally.

The Challenge

This was far more than a traditional education leadership role.

The organisation required an experienced executive capable of combining strategic leadership, operational delivery, regulatory oversight and people management in a highly visible senior position.

The successful candidate needed to demonstrate:

• Significant senior leadership experience gained within a professional body, regulatory organisation, education provider or healthcare setting.
• Expertise in education quality assurance, accreditation, professional standards or regulatory compliance.
• Experience working with boards, trustees, committees and governance structures.
• The ability to translate organisational strategy into deliverable programmes and measurable outcomes.
• Strong people leadership skills, including leading managers and developing high-performing teams.
• Experience managing organisational change and cultural transformation.
• Credibility to engage confidently with senior stakeholders, academic institutions, regulators and sector partners.

Whilst many candidates possessed elements of the brief, very few offered the combination of executive leadership, education expertise, governance experience and change-management capability required for success.

Charity People’s Inclusive Recruitment Process

Following an extensive consultation process with the Chief Executive and senior stakeholders, Charity People developed a search strategy designed to attract candidates from a broad range of relevant sectors including:

• Professional membership bodies
• Royal Colleges
• Healthcare regulators
• Awarding organisations
• Higher education institutions
• Professional standards bodies
• Healthcare charities
• Accreditation and quality assurance organisations

As with all senior appointments, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion remained at the heart of the process. The recruitment campaign was designed to remove barriers wherever possible and encourage applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

A transparent partnership approach was maintained throughout, with regular market feedback, candidate insights and search updates shared with the client.

The role generated strong interest from senior leaders across the education, healthcare and membership sectors. However, a rigorous assessment process ensured only candidates who could evidence the full breadth of leadership, governance and education expertise progressed through to final stages.

This enabled the organisation to focus on selecting the individual who not only possessed the necessary technical expertise but also demonstrated the leadership style, values and cultural fit required to lead the department successfully.

The Appointment

The successful candidate, Dylan Costello, brought more than 18 years’ experience leading examinations, assessment and professional education services within highly regulated healthcare and membership environments.

Most recently serving as Director of Examinations at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Dylan was a member of the senior leadership team with responsibility for strategic examinations delivery, governance, quality assurance, digital transformation, budget management and international partnerships. He led a team of six, managed a departmental budget of approximately £1.5 million and played a key role in shaping organisational policy and strategy.

Throughout a distinguished career spanning the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, the Faculty of Occupational Medicine and the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, Dylan developed an impressive track record of leading professional education and assessment functions, managing complex stakeholder relationships and delivering large-scale organisational change.

Notable achievements included:

• Leading the transition to fully electronic and hybrid examination delivery following the pandemic.
• Establishing and growing international examination centres and partnerships.
• Tripling candidate numbers across key overseas markets including India, Egypt and Pakistan.
• Increasing examination-related income by approximately £1 million through strategic international expansion.
• Negotiating high-profile partnerships with universities, regulators, governments and health ministries.
• Supporting examiner recruitment, development and quality assurance processes at scale.
• Managing complex governance relationships with committees, regulators and senior stakeholders.

What made this appointment particularly compelling was the combination of executive leadership experience, significant regulatory and quality assurance expertise, proven change management capability and a highly collaborative leadership style.

Although coming from an examinations and professional standards background rather than a traditional education leadership route, Dylan demonstrated all the qualities required to lead and develop IBMS’s wider education function while maintaining regulatory confidence and driving strategic growth.

Outcome

The successful appointment has enabled the Institute of Biomedical Science to secure an experienced executive leader capable of driving the next phase of its education strategy while strengthening its position as a trusted professional body and standard setter.  Dylan will be starting his new role in September and we wish him every success in his new role.

Dylan’s appointment demonstrates Charity People’s ability to identify, engage and secure exceptional senior leaders for highly specialised executive appointments where governance, professional standards, education expertise and organisational leadership are all critical to success.