Client Success Stories: Diverse Leadership Placements

Our full case study archive A broader selection of leadership appointments and success stories across sectors, roles and organisations. Here you can see some of our Client Success Stories utilising our proven recruitment process and tailored, quality led approach.

Chief Customer Officer Search

Utilities - Water Company 

Appointed a Chief Customer Officer during a period of significant uncertainty, partnering closely with the CEO and Group HR Director to secure a leader capable of navigating transformation, regulation and organisation-wide change at pace.

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Chief Transformation Officer

Building Society 

Engaged following a failed initial search, Douglas Jackson successfully appointed a Chief Transformation Officer to lead enterprise-wide transformation for a UK Building Society at a critical point in its growth journey.

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Chief Finance Officer

Utilities - Energy B2B provider

Partnered with a high-growth B2B energy solutions provider to appoint a strategic CFO, providing financial leadership, board-level reporting and continuity during a critical phase of growth in the evolving renewables market.

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Non-Exeutive Directors

Utilities - Energy Solution Provider

Appointed multiple NEDs for a pioneering social enterprise tackling fuel poverty, strengthening board governance, ESG leadership and strategic oversight across innovation, customer experience, regulation and social value.

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Forecasting and Planning Lead

Field Operations, multi-site 

Strategically critical leadership role, providing direction for the Central Planning team and supporting large-scale Field Operations across multiple business units for this large utility and water company

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VP EMEA - Utilities

B2B AI Technology

Partnering with a high-growth, AI-driven technology business, Douglas Jackson appointed a VP, EMEA-Utilities to accelerate market expansion, engage senior utility stakeholders, and support investor-backed growth.

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Managing Director, Customer 

Top 5 Bank 

Delivered a senior MD to lead one of the UK’s largest customer operations, overseeing c.4,000 FTE across UK and offshore sites, driving service excellence, regulatory compliance and sustainable cost efficiency.

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Sales Director/CCO Search 

Insurance Warranty Provider

Retained to appoint a commercially astute Sales Director/Chief Commercial Officer to lead partnership growth and revenue generation, combining sector expertise with a strong hunter mindset to deliver ambitious expansion plans.

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Non Executive Director/NED

Utilities and Energy 

Partnering with a national membership and skills body, Douglas Jackson appointed a Non-Executive Director to strengthen Board governance, Remuneration and Nominations oversight, and strategic leadership during sector-wide transformation.

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Managing Director-Telco Search

BPO/Outsourcing

Built on a long-standing partnership to appoint a commercially strong Managing Director to lead and scale the client’s growing telecommunications operations, combining operational leadership with market-focused growth strategy.

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Operations Director - COO

Luxury Consumer Goods

Secured an aspirational future COO to build scalable operational, performance and regulatory foundations for a high-growth, market-defining luxury brand.

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Director of Customer Experience

Top 4 UK Bank

Delivered a world-class CX Director to lead a 500-strong frontline operation, driving omnichannel transformation, digital strategy and customer-centric delivery aligned to Scaled Agile and the bank’s “People Matter More” ethos.

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Workforce Management Leadership 

Online Gaming and Sports Betting

Recruited two business-critical WFM leaders to deliver a time-sensitive NICE IEX platform rollout, combining deep technical expertise with stakeholder leadership in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment.

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Business Development Director Search

Global BPO/Outsourcing

Engaged following a senior-level industry conversation to identify and appoint a high-impact Business Development leader with deep Utilities expertise, where the client’s existing network lacked the specialist capability required to accelerate growth.

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Solutions Delivery Consultant

AI CCaas Technology 

Within just nine months, the succesful indiviual was promoted to a Head of Solutions sole, reflecting both their capability and the strength of the match between individual and organisation.

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Customer Experience Director

Housing Association

Placed a CX Director to align customer strategy with new regulatory tenant satisfaction measures, integrating insight, analytics, complaints and repairs into a unified approach.

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Director of Quality Search 

Telecommunications

Led a confidential search to appoint a senior leader to design and deliver a best-in-class complaints and customer service strategy across a complex retail and contact centre operation.

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Sales Director Search

B2B Utilities

Appointed a newly created Sales Director role to strengthen commercial capability, following successful prior leadership hires across operations and workforce planning.

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Head of Customer Services Search

Utilities - Consumer

Engaged on an exclusive basis to appoint a Head of Customer Services, building on a trusted partnership to strengthen leadership capability within a consumer-facing utilities operation.

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Director of Resource Planning Search

FTSE 100 Energy

Placed a senior Resource Planning Director to design and deliver a full transformation of planning and operational support functions where previous direct market approaches had failed.

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Operations Director B2B Search

Utilities Wholesaler Provider

Following multiple successful retained searches, appointed an Operations Director to strengthen leadership capability across operations, planning and support functions for a complex utilities wholesaler.

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Head of Claims - Chief Operations Officer

Motor Insurance Service Provider

A highly confidential search This role was vital to the operation and the hiring manager needed someone who was hands on in terms of operational management whilst also having the strategic ability to develop the claims strategy.  This successful hire went on to achieve multiple promotions and was appointed to the COO, Chief Operating Officer

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COO Designate Search 

Business Services Outsourcing

A highly confidential search, reporting to the CEO, this newly created role had to create the vision strategy and planning to transform the operations into a passionate, quality driven, performance focussed business ready for rapid growth and scale. They also needed the individual to be capable of future succession to a COO role

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Customer Experience Design Lead

Insurtech

A newly created role to make some subject matter expert senior leadership team appointments in this rapidly scaling, award winning business. A strategic, matrix role who would need to manage the expectation of the business, client partners and deliver the desire and ambitions of the internal stakeholders and board.

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Customer Services Director Search

Utilities

Appointed a senior Customer Services Director to restore confidence following an unsuccessful prior search, navigating intense regulatory, board and customer scrutiny to stabilise performance and leadership capability.

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Customer Experience Director EMEA

Consumer Goods

Delivered a rare bilingual CX leader, meeting a non-negotiable German language requirement while embedding a global customer experience culture aligned to a premium luxury brand.

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Multi-Channel Strategy Director Search

Top 5 Insurer

Identified a transformation leader capable of driving large-scale digital, robotics and automation change within a highly regulated insurance environment where suitable talent was scarce.

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Commercial Director Search

Beauty

Recruited a Commercial Director to accelerate growth for a category-defining challenger brand, building B2B and strategic partnerships to complement rapid D2C expansion.

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Interim Head of Customer Experience

Housing Association

Successfully delivered an Interim Head of Customer Experience within five weeks to lead a critical complaints programme, balancing pace, cultural fit and technical capability under intense regulatory and delivery pressure.

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Director of Forecasting and Planning Search

Insurance Loans and Breakdown

Partnered with the COO to appoint a Director of Forecasting and Planning to strengthen capability across contact centre, customer operations and field services in a fast-paced, highly complex environment.

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Operations Director Search

Travel and Pet Insurance

Placed an Operations Director to unify and optimise multi-product B2B and B2C insurance operations, delivering measurable performance uplift, efficiency gains and strategic alignment across the business.

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Guest Experience Director Search

Travel and Hospitality Sector

Appointed into a newly created, pivotal role to define and embed a future-focused Guest Experience strategy, helping a leading cruise and travel operator deliver best-in-class customer and guest experiences at scale.

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Head of Logistics Search

Water Retailer

The role was a challenging search, as the business are passionate about hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce and were looking for succession opportunity, as well as having someone capable of taking a business plan in which they would be required to scale and expand an entirely new business unit entwined with most of the existing areas of the company.

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Insight Director Search

Research and Insight CX Consultancy

The role required an individual who could own and deliver a roadmap of deliverables and outputs that will deepen understanding of key customer drivers, focus areas, and opportunities to improve NPS. Capable of demonstrating the linkages between operational, behavioural and research data to build a systematic and effective approach to creating insight from analytics.

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Meet the Team

Michelle Ansell

Managing Partner - Executive and Professional Search, CX, Operations, Transformation and Customer - Diverse Leadership, Chief Customer Officer.

01543 231071


Michelle started her career in general insurance joining The AA and becoming one of their youngest Insurance branch managers before moving into a recruitment career. Over two decades of experience supporting hires across Operations, Customer, Digital and CX, helping businesses to identify, hire and attract diverse impactful leaders, who are more successful and stay for longer. Michelle still works with a portfolio of new and existing customers. Clients across Housing Associations, Ecommerce, Retail, Travel, Telco and Insurance that include; BT, Karbon Homes, Expedia, Notting Hill Genesis, Squaretrade, HSBC, Tripadvisor, Curo, Kiwi, LV=, Estee Lauder, P&O Cruises, Staysure to name a few. Michelle is also a Senior Board Director of the Customer Institute, and an active member of Women in Customer Experience (WiCX), a Chair of the UK Business Awards, Judge and Chair of the UK CX Awards since 2010. Top 25 CX professional.
C-suite, and senior leadership, retained search. Chief Customer Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Experience Officer, customer, CX, operations and transformation Director and subject matter expert roles, delivering high performance, diverse, impactful leadership.

Perry Fletcher

Practice Lead - Resource Planning, Customer Insight, Analytics and Operational Support functions at Director, 'Head of' and Subject Matter Expert level

01543 231078


After graduating university Perry was the onsite Account Manager for Amazon before joining Douglas Jackson where he developed the Planning, Data, Insight and Analytics practice, working with clients across industry sectors including; BT, British Gas, Fedex, Healthcare at Home, Abcam, Serco, Baxi, Ovo Energy, Severn Trent, Thames Water, The RAC, Starling Bank. E.on Next... Perry is also an active member and contributor of the Professional Planning Forum.
Exclusively focused on operational support functions, working with customer and digitally focussed business, delivering high performance, diverse, impactful leadership across Data, Resource Planning, Insight and Analytics.

John Montgomery

Practice Lead - Insurance, Insurtech, Banking and Financial Services at a Director, 'Head of' and Subject Matter Expert level

01543 231077


After leaving university John started his recruitment career in education before establishing the finance, insurance and banking practice. John has worked with many well established traditional brands across claims, banking, investments, insurance, loans and payments, whilst also aiding start-up and scaling fintech, insuretech and payments business. Brands across the Insurance and FS space include; Direct Line Group, First Direct, Starling Bank, Duologi, Complete Cover, Bought by Many/ManyPets, Barbon Insurance, The AA, BGL Group, WNS.
Exclusively focused on advancing financial services business, delivering, diverse impactful leaders for transformation, fintech, insuretech, banking, insurance and digital disruptors.

Holly Beeston

Practice Lead - Utilities, Energy, Water, EV, Engineering, Sustainability, B2B , B2C

01543 231074


Holly started her recruitment career working across the engineering and manufacturing sector before establishing the Utilities practice for Douglas Jackson, covering sustainable clean energy, electric, water, B2B, brokers, gas, nucleur, and engineering. Holly heads up the markets for Utilities, housing, Engineering and Technology, working with brands including; SES Water, Karbon Homes, Sovereign Housing, L&Q, Severn Trent, Verastar, Waterplus, South Staffs Water, Ovo Energy, Southern Water, Utility Warehouse. Holly is also a keynote speaker and Advocate for Women in Utilities.
Focused on B2C, consumer and B2B utility businesses to deliver high growth, transformation and change - delivering, diverse, impactful leadership across Gas, Energy, Renewables, Electric, Sustainability, Green, B2B, and Broker. Holly is also an Advocate for Women in Utilities (WUN) Network.

Rebecca Harris

Recruitment Support Team Lead

01543 231070


The rock that holds the team together providing first class support and research assistance. Rebecca has been an Executive Assistant and support executive within the recruitment industry for over 20 years.