Supporting Eurochild, a non-profit organization, in achieving operational excellence

Industry: non-profit organization
Project duration: 6 months

Challenges

Eurochild had been operating without a Secretary General since the summer of 2022. Individual management team members did well in assuring continuity of the operations, while the President, Vice-President and Treasurer of the Board made themselves more available for regular contacts with management and staff.

However, clear leadership was missing and half of the staff left the organization. Consequently, the Board asked Essensys to find an adequate Secretary General ad interim with significant experience in leading non-profit organizations.

Solution

In February 2023, Essensys launched an international search for the Secretary General ad interim position. Many candidates showed interest in the role, allowing Essensys to hold extensive interviews with candidates of different European origins and professional backgrounds.

Essensys selected the most qualified candidates and the Board of Directors unanimously approved the ad interim nomination of the selected Interim Manager in March of 2023.

Results

As from her introduction, the ad interim Secretary General focused on re-building trust with other management team members and individual staff members. In parallel, she assured the continuity of the operations by recruiting new employees.

Together with Essensys, the ad interim Secretary General developed an operational plan and rolled out the strategic decisions taken by the Board of Directors. Furthermore, the important relationship with the largest donors, respectively the European Commission and Oak, were restored.

During her entire assignment, the ad interim Secretary General was coached by Michel Van Hemele, Managing Partner of Essensys. The systematic improvement of the internal operational processes, the re-established management reporting and the improved contacts with the 200 members and donors provided the Board of Directors with the comfort that the ad interim Secretary General was a perfect match.

Consequently, after 6 months of excellent service, the Eurochild's Board of Directors decided to nominate the Essensys Interim Manager as permanent Secretary General of Eurochild.
 

“Thank you very much Michel for your professional and excellent service" - concluded Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Eurochild and President of the Mediterranean Children's Movement
 

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