Read about the impact we have on supporting people with brain injuries and other neurological conditions
Our team across our services are here to answer your queries and questions
Take a look at our different services across the UK, and how they can support you
Read about how our services are having an impact on people’s lives
Learn about brain injuries, the rehabilitation journey, from diagnosis and treatment to the ongoing support and independence.
The Brain Injury Linkworker Service is based on the belief in equal and fair access to neurorehabilitation for all. Learn how we can support your organisation.
Read the latest insights about brain injury rehabilitation from the Brainkind research team
View our research teams published book chapters and articles in peer reviewed publications.
Too Many to Count is the first study in the United Kingdom to explore the prevalence of brain injury in domestic abuse survivors accessing community-based services.
Do you support homeless people and prisoners and ex-offenders who have experienced an acquired brain injury? Our training is designed to give you the tools you need to support people in your service.
Login to view and download our BINI and BISI tools
View our careers page for jobs across all our services.
There are many ways to donate to Brainkind. Your donations will help support people with brain injuries and neurological conditions.
Home > News > How Brainkind’s People Helped Choose our New CEO
To support the traditional recruitment process, the organisation wanted to ensure that the voices of the people who make Brainkind, including the people we support, were heard as part of one of the most important appointments the charity would make.
The trustees led the process and at the right opportunity created space for colleagues and people Brainkind supports, who could help identify the right person to lead the organisation into its next chapter. That journey ultimately led to the appointment of Andy Cole OBE as Brainkind’s new CEO.
Starting with the people who matter most
There was a need to reflect Brainkind’s commitment to a co-produced approach when it came to searching for a new CEO.
Wendy-Baylis-Wareing, Brainkind’s Personalisation Lead said it was important that the people who experience the charity’s services every day had a real opportunity to contribute.
Wendy said: “We really wanted to think carefully about what the role of CEO means to the people we support,”
“If we’re asking someone to lead Brainkind, then it’s important to understand what qualities the people who use our services want to see in that leader.”
Early conversations explored how different groups, including people supported by Brainkind, family members and colleagues from across the organisation, could be involved. The aim was not simply to gather feedback, but to create meaningful participation in the recruitment process.
Bringing the process to Kent House
While initial discussions considered virtual involvement, it soon became clear that face-to-face engagement would provide a far richer experience.
Brainkind’s Kent House service in Aylesbury was chosen as the location for a dedicated interview panel involving colleagues from numerous departments and importantly, people supported by Brainkind.
Ahead of the interviews, Wendy spent time meeting with those supported at Kent House, helping them understand what a CEO does and discussing what leadership means from their perspective.
Rather than presenting a job description and asking for opinions, the conversations focused on simple but powerful questions.
Those discussions led to some thoughtful and insightful responses from the group.
Creating their own interview questions
Nick, James and Arthur, three people supported at Kent House, played a central role in designing the interview for the potential CEOs.
Together, along with help from Wendy, they explored what was most important to them in health and social care and discussed the characteristics they would expect from a successful leader.
Their ideas were then distilled into six interview questions.
A considerable amount of time was spent ensuring the questions remained true to the group’s intentions while being clear and accessible for both the panel members and the candidates.
Importantly, the questions belonged to them.
“The questions were definitely theirs,” Wendy explained. “We spent time refining the wording and helping everyone feel confident, but the issues they wanted to raise and the things they felt were important came directly from them.”
Preparation sessions also focused on helping panel members understand what strong responses might sound like and how they would assess candidates during the interviews.
The aim was not to give them a single ‘correct’ answer to look for, but to empower them to form their own opinions.
Nick Dover, one of the people we support at Kent House described feeling positive about being involved from the outset, explaining:
“I felt reassured as a resident to be involved in the process.”
Being included in the recruitment panel was particularly meaningful, she added “it was authentic as a resident to be valued.”
Preparing for interview day
To ensure the panel felt well supported, Assistant Manager Ella joined the process in an administrative capacity.
Her role was to take notes, record responses and support the panel if needed. Crucially, she was not there to influence decisions or offer recommendations herself.
This helped ensure that the views of the people supported remained at the centre of the process.
The preparation gave panel members the confidence to challenge candidates, ask follow-up questions and assess responses based on what mattered to them personally.
Asking candidates questions was an experience Nick was proud to be part of, she said:
“It was a proud moment for me to be part of the whole process.”
Throughout the recruitment exercise, she felt her views were genuinely considered: “It was very important because I felt listened to and involved.” Added Nick.
When considering what mattered most in choosing Brainkind’s new CEO, Nick felt that the most important quality was “somebody who was receptive and empathetic.”
Meeting the candidates
When interview day arrived, the panel members were ready.
Candidates were invited to Kent House, where they faced questions developed and delivered by the people supported by Brainkind.
While the content of the answers was important, the panel also paid close attention to something else: behaviour.
These observations proved just as valuable as the answers themselves.
The experience also created a positive atmosphere for candidates, encouraging open and authentic conversations rather than a traditional interview dynamic.
For the group, selecting a CEO was never just about experience and credentials. It was about finding someone who understood people, demonstrated respect and shared Brainkind’s values.
Reflecting on Andy, Nick said: “He felt more approachable and it felt like Andy really wanted to be part of invested or improving Brainkind services.” She also spoke positively about her interaction with him during the interview, adding: “I felt very comfortable and valued during the interview process.”
Reflecting on his experience throughout, Andy said:
“The recruitment process provided me a fantastic opportunity to better understand the work of the charity – and the clear highlight was my day at Kent House, meeting the people we support and our team members.
“I am delighted that their feedback was positive! – and look forward to visiting all our services over the next few weeks.”
Looking back, the highlight for Nick was simply having the opportunity to take part.
“Being approached and to be involved in choosing Brainkind’s new CEO,” was the best part of the experience for her.
She would welcome the opportunity to take part in future recruitment, saying: ‘Definitely, if I will get the chance I will do it.”
Nick believes other organisations should adopt a similar approach to recruitment and involve the people they support in key decisions. As she put it: “They should involve residents so that they feel valued”.
