St. Michaels University School

Our executive search clients need to ensure that they reach and draw from a pool of experienced, specialized candidates when selecting an executive proponent. The following case study describes how we worked with the Deputy Head of School and Head of School at St. Michaels University School to help them secure a new Chief Financial Officer. Together, we attracted a finance professional with over three decades of accounting and finance experience spanning a variety of industries and organizational sizes.

St. Michaels University School (SMUS) is a K-12 independent school in Victoria, BC. SMUS engaged Chemistry Consulting Group to provide executive search services to identify and secure a new Chief Financial Officer. This role had the responsibility of overseeing strategic direction and implementation of the non-academic support functions of the school’s operations including finance, accounting, grounds and facilities, ancillary services, insurance and risk management, education and systems technology.

After a visit to the campus and extensive discussions with the Deputy Head of School, Head of School and Board members, we came to understand and build a picture of the ideal candidate.

The search was a collaborative partnership between our team and the school. We began a targeted search, focusing on schools, universities, colleges, healthcare entities and corporations both locally and nationally. Our extensive reach and connections allowed us to attract a diverse group of suitably qualified candidates for consideration.

The successful proponent had spent several years working in banking, healthcare and with non-profit organizations and had a broad background in teaching complex, MBA accounting-related courses. An important factor for SMUS is transparent and robust reporting, and this candidate had experience providing reports and input to board committees; primarily finance and audit, investment, impact investing and human resources task groups. They are a Certified Professional Accountant, a Bachelor of Commerce, hold a Diploma in Public Accounting, and Certificate in International Financial Reporting and are a Fellow of the Credit Union Institute of Canada.

After the successful proponent was placed, we had several follow-up conversations with SMUS to ensure that things were still going smoothly with their new hire. These conversations with the Deputy Head of School indicate that the proponent is well suited to the position and is making a positive contribution to the overall success of the school and its community.